Omaha
by The Famous Fire Lady M
Summary: Nick, hitchhiking across Nebraska, is attacked and finds his way to Ellis' farm. M for violence, language and lemons. Nellis, KeithEllis, Frochelle. AU.
1. Nicholas Cornell

**AN: Hiya, guys! I managed to sneak onto my padre's laptop to publish, as my comp is.. Kind of dead as of right now. Oh. Follow me on tumblr! Ryuzaki21121. I'll have updates for my fics on there. ;D I got the idea for this fic from going through old cds of mine. AND well, idk, the rest is history. This is a very obvious au because there probably won't be any zombies. Yet. The entire cast of both games are in fact in this game. **

**Warning, this may be a trigger warning for people who have had things like this done to them, meaning anti-gay attacks. I mean absolutely no disrespect featuring it in my story. it's a real problem, I know. I really don't know what else to say, except that I'm a member of the LGBT community and I don't want any of this to be taken the wrong way. If it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to tell me in a review or hit your back-button. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Left 4 Dead, nor its sequel, or any other VALVe games. Nor do I own Deliverance or any references to anything else. I don"t even consider this version of Nick to be mine. -shrug-**

* * *

><p>He stood on a street surrounded by corn, where the light flickered and only one car passed by: his thumb was stuck out, arm outstretched, beseeching a ride from any kind stranger. Of course, it <em>was<em> late in the night, but Nicholas Cornell was not one to give up easily.

Plus it wasn't as if he was a bum. His white suit was clean enough, he shaved and his dark hair was only somewhat mussed; though that was from his nervous tic of running his hand through it. He'd be the only person you'd see dressed like that in the middle of Nebraska but it didn't really matter.

Not even when a group of teenagers (from, he assumed, the nearest high school, not having been there nor seeing the students before in his life) pulled up, did he stop his pacing along the sidewalk. The car had to be ancient, an old jalopy pick up truck that clearly had seen better days. Ol' Nick wasn't too keen on cars but if he had to hazard a guess at the year it was manufactured, he'd have said probably in '56 or 57. The car itself looked like it was held together solely with duct tape and country prayers, he mused to himself, pursing his lips at the sight of the rusty old machine.

"Evening, boys." He nodded, trying to be polite at the rowdy teens, but not so polite that it would seem creepy. "Willing to help a guy out? 'Could use a ride right about now."

Nick's voice had the faintest tinge of a city accent, soft and well mannered but husky like he didn't use it, or maybe he used it a bit too much. It must have sounded fantastic if he were to sing.

"Hey, man, why don'cha get in?" The adolescent driving spoke up, a broad-shouldered redhead, his twangy voice practically oozing with small-town hospitality.

Nick nodded, grateful for this good fortune, letting himself smile a little. "Thanks a lot."

He stuck out his hand to shake and the ginger took it, his massive rough hand enveloping the easterner's average sized and well kept one. He could smell the booze on his breath and it made him pause. He could tell the stranger had been drinking. Nicky wasn't one to avoid risks, but he'd rather not end up dead in a ditch somewhere.

"Never mind, I'll just stay where I am." He pulled back.

The redhead in the driver's seat guffawed loudly, a sound that sent chills up his spine for some reason. This wasn't _Deliverance, _he had nothing to fear from these hillbillies.

"What, are you some kinda queer or something, city boy?"

On second thought, maybe these guys were a bit more dangerous than he thought. Images from the news flashed through his mind, stories about anti-gay hate crimes.

"Too queer to ride with real men, then." The redhead looked to his companions in the backseat and passenger seat beside him, the other teens that Nick failed to notice before.

"Looks like we got ourselves a queer, gentlemen!" The pizza faced teen beside the redhead whooped, laughing hysterically, and the rest of them hollered along with him.

The redhead leaned toward him through the window, clearly a mean drunk. "Y'know what we do with queers here, city boy? They're an abomination against God, so we gotta kick their asses 'fore they spread all around, with their sick ideas. Them queers gotta die."

The way he said 'queer' was with such hatred, in a way he'd never really heard before. His voice dropped to a snarl. "Why don't we teach this queer a lesson he won't forget?" He let out a low bark of a laugh, goosebumps running across Nick's skin. "Get 'm, boys."

The doors swung open and four of the biggest, beefiest farm boys Nick had ever seen stepped out. They must have been on football or something at their school because they were huge.

Nick backed up, viewing his options. He had only two choices: let himself be killed by these apes, or book it through the empty field behind him. He decided on the latter, turning and running fast in a zigzag pattern.

He could feel rather than hear the footsteps of them behind him, right on his tail. One of them managed to grab him by the collar and get him on the ground as he writhed, trying to get away. The huge lug pinned him to the ground easily, kneeing him in the stomach and slamming his fists into his face over and over again.

Nick could hear the others laughing and whooping the whole time. The rain of blows hitting his face never dulled, the intense sting of his lip splitting and the sickening crack of something in his nose breaking announced the addition of sticky and hot blood running down past his mouth. He could feel his whole face swelling under the never-ending haze of pain.

The guy (who had to weigh at least 275) _finally_ got off of him and he thought he knew what was coming next. The murders in the news always ended with sexual assault and death for the victim.

Instead, a thick heeled steel-toed boot was pressed firmly to his collarbone. The foot lifted for one merciful second and then came crashing back down on his chest. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and he couldn't breathe, a sharp pain shooting down his ribs. He distantly felt a hand reach into his pocket and pull out what he assumed was his wallet.

Then they all descended on him, the drunkard rednecks not letting up one bit as they pummeled him with their own boots, kicking him in the stomach and sides. He curled up into a ball to try to fend off the more painful and probably damaging blows. Eventually they got bored and left him alone, but not before spitting on him and calling out to him as they ran off back to their car.

"An' stay outta our land, you queer!"

Cackling like drunk loons, they swung back into the car, piling into the trunk.

He didn't try to respond, only focusing on forcing more air into his lungs and trying to stay awake. Groaning, he gingerly curled up into a tighter ball in the coverless field, shaking still. He'd never been attacked before like this, and now all he wanted to do was rest. He let his swollen eyes close and he mercifully blacked out, right as the sky began to lighten.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I like to think that the guy that pinned Nick down is maybe a future Tank. And 'pizzaface' as I referred to him, is totally a Jockey. -shrug- Dun dun dun. Um, hint as to who just attacked our beloved conman.. Keith is a ginger in this~ <strong>

** Thank you for reading! R&R please. **


	2. Ellis

**AN: Welp, I'm back, ma petites~ Did you miss me, in the tiny amount of time I was gone? My dad let me on his laptop again as long as I saved what I was writing on a USB drive and not on the computer. :D Um, well, I got into the character of Ellis a little more than I got into the character of Nick. Idk why though.. -shrugs- Also the title came from a Counting Crows song which gave me this idea originally. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of anything owned by VALVe except for two copies of l4d and one copy of l4d2. :D**

* * *

><p>Ellis wasn't the brightest in his classes, but he wasn't stupid either. He worked hard at his schoolwork and at home. Of course, he was average but he worked at everything hard enough to be good. The young farm boy was a sweet kid, quiet and well behaved.<p>

The word for what he was is _naïve_. Ellis was one of those good ol' boys that wanted to believe in the good in everyone. Even his old friends turned worst enemies, like Keith Flaherty, the big jock on campus. Keith and Ellis were like brothers up until high school. That was when Keith became a big time football player, the star quarterback, and quite a drunk, partying almost every Friday night and well into the weekends. Ellis was nothing like that, preferring to work on tractors and horses than play sports. The sportiest things he did was ride horses and occasionally catch NASCAR races on tv, and he was too much of a goody two shoes to even party.

It didn't help that Keith's new friends picked on Ellis near constantly, tormenting until he came home at the end of the day, fighting tears. When they saw him start to cry, which he tried hard not to do, they'd call him 'sissy boy' and 'faggot'. It wasn't Ellis' fault that he was too nice to really do anything back, especially to Keith. Speaking of the guy that made his life a living hell, Keith spread a nasty rumor that he was gay. _Keith_, of all people. The one person who knew all of his secrets.

He certainly believed he wasn't gay, even if he did confide in his only friend two years ago that he did have his fantasies, though everyone said that was normal.

That was the summer right before his sophomore year, the last time he hung out with Keith; who was his best and only friend since childhood. It was also when he had gotten his first kiss. That was with Keith too. Keith was responsible for taking nearly all of his firsts. Except, well, _that_. The one thing he didn't want to do with anybody until he was married.

It was Keith's idea for them to try that too, kissing first, and then more things, but sweet little Ellis blushed red and stopped him. Then the next school year, Keith was telling everyone that _he_ was the gay one. He soon realized that maybe he did like the kissing a little more than he should have.

It hurt to think about it, and he cried, and he told his mama all about it. Even the parts about the kissing. She held him close like when he was little, and he could smell her perfume and it always calmed him down. He could remember her smoothing down his hair and telling him she loved him, no matter what. She called him her little man, the man of the house.

That was before she got sick, and the smell of perfume was replaced with the sickly-sweet smell of sanitizer and bitter medicine. Before all she could think about was whether she would see Christmas. And she didn't. That was the year Keith's tortures advanced tenfold and he was 'adopted' by his next door neighbor and his mama's closest family friend since his daddy died.

Isaac West was an older black man and a widower, as well as the first black man Ellis had ever met. His mama died the same way Isaac's wife did; that's what he told him at her funeral. Cancer, he said. It made an awful pity rise up in his chest for his mentor, former gym teacher and friend. _Former _gym teacher because Mr. West was a football coach before he retired, and still went by that affectionate term. He was 'Coach' to his friends, of which he had many, and Mr. West to total strangers, both of which he was exceptionally kind to.

Not one to be hindered by discrimination, he was nice to everyone, even the ignorant masses in town. He only became angry when someone insulted or threatened him and his family, scrawny little white boy Ellis and his mama included.

Isaac "Coach" West was a broad man, very powerful looking, even now that he was edging toward seventy. Even if he never used his clearly powerful strength to hurt anyone, not even a fly.

Ellis was like his adopted son, and was over all the time, especially after he lost his mother. The kid had gotten along with his nephew Louis particularly well. Louis had lost his own mother too. Mr. West's only sister, Louis' mom, was killed in a drunk driving accident in the big city and he was sent to live with his Uncle. He was in Ellis' grade and the only black kid in the school, beside his cousin, Rochelle, Mr. West's youngest child.

Rochelle was pretty in a studious, smart sort of way, nothing like Zoey, Ellis' oldest female friend and the captain of the girls' softball team. Rochelle was a good girl, if a bit on the nerdy side. She was one of the only people he got close to after his mother died. She was like a surrogate mother to him, and made sure to cheer him up whenever he was upset, which was more often since he lost his mama.

His school work hadn't suffered, which was very surprising, since his mama was the only thing keeping him there. He was smart enough, though, that he knew his mama would have wanted him to graduate. Instead of flunking out, he all but cut himself off from everyone else, working on the cornfield on the property that was now his, throwing himself headlong into his work. He had grown into a well formed young man through the hard labor, muscular and tan, finally grown into his callused and large farmer's hands that his mama used to say were just like his dad's. Ellis' had never known his father, who died when he was very small.

It was just him and his mama for as long as he could remember, though he could recall the first day Coach moved in with his daughter. He was the first black man young Ellis had ever seen, with a kind face and a crown of graying dark hair.

His daughter, Rochelle, was shy and always had her nose in a book. She was always impeccably dressed, her hair in long braids on either sides of her head like Pippi Longstockings, which she proudly told him was her most favorite book in the world. Mr. West, Coach, made sure she was polite, just like how he made sure of Ellis' well being now. Rochelle was a year older than Ellis, little awkward Ellis with the skinned knees and love for horses.

The both of them hadn't changed one bit, Ellis with his horses, and Rochelle with her books. Though Ellis grew to be more introverted and Rochelle blossomed, rebelling against her overprotective father.

It made the bullying twice as bad when he had the most basic of social lives, going to see football games with Rochelle and Coach in the fall, (a tiny part of him admitting that maybe it was to see Keith play,) shopping and the summer rodeo that he had had dreams of participating in since he was little. Committing what could have amounted to social suicide, he retreated further into himself.

Rochelle didn't drink or do drugs, just like her father warned her not to. Instead she had an ever increasing list of boyfriends that would dump her when she refused to sleep with them. Again she was following exactly what her father advised her to do, even if her nor her father believed it. She had a weakness for bad boys, the kind with motorcycles, and leather jackets and tattoos. Ellis was convinced she only did it to bother Coach, because she only acted bad like that when her father and her boyfriend of the week were in the same room together.

Rochelle was a lot more like Ellis than most people realized, though Coach could see it. She liked to ride horses and she and Ellis would get up early some days in the summer and ride horses down the country road behind his house. She didn't do it as often anymore because she was preparing for college. Ellis could take care of the horses by himself anyway.

And so here he was, working on the farm he loved so much.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: welp, another chapter up, providing some backstory for everyone. Guess who Rochelle would totally have a crush on? :D<strong>

**Um, Ellis is such a cutie pie. XD Coming up to some real action soon, with Nick and Ellis meeting each other. But not in a way you'd expect. :D**

**R&R please!**

**TFFLM out**


	3. Awkward

**AN: Hiya, guys! First off, I would like to just say thank you to all of my reviewers. You are all my favorite people in the world. ;D Um, in other news, as soon as I find my other notebook, **_**Repo Girl**_** will soon be up and going again, and my previous hiatus will be ended. :D Um, watching I Am Legend, while I'm typing this and I'm probably going to lapse into hysterics while typing; whether they're from the dog, or Fred. :D No spoilers, from me about this fricken movie, nosirree. Also, I let one of my friends read this fanfic and the conversation basically went:**

**Her: So how old is Nick?**

**Me: Liiike… almost 40?**

**Her: And Ellis is a teenager in this..**

**Me: Yeah, so? He's still legal. :D**

**Yeah, it must have been funnier in person now that I think about it. XD **

**I just remembered that for some reason, I'm reminded of the play Star Spangled Girl because of Nick's last name. ;D Southern accent plus saying that name makes me lol and brings back fond memories of high school drama class. **

**C: Um, reviewers. I will probably personally reply to all of your reviews, so keep 'em comin'! Now, what you all have been waiting for: and, onto the show~!**

**(also it's the part with Fred in I Am Legend. I love this part~ -giggles-)**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything created by VALVe or any other references herein. **

* * *

><p>Ellis stood atop the tractor he just fixed, surveying the empty field in front of him. He swept a suntanned arm across his face, wiping the sweat and tears from his eyes. He'd been thinking of his mama again. He didn't let anyone see him cry anymore, not even Coach or Rochelle.<p>

The sun had just barely come up on an early Saturday morning, and he'd been up for almost two hours already, but only now had bothered to come outside.

It was getting close to his birthday; he was going to be nineteen, and he always missed his mother the most on his birthdays. Hard work helped him keep his mind off of it so he let the sweat mix with the wetness in his eyes. All the better to hide his tears if anyone caught him out here.

He tucked his hat back onto his head, on top of his damp caramel colored curls, plastered to his forehead, slowly drying in the cool morning air. Brown eyes absently looked around the edge of the field where there was a road. His eyes scanned over the drab color of the recently plowed ground, until he saw something white. Brow furrowed in confusion, he stared at it, jumping down from the tractor and heading toward it, shielding his eyes from the morning sun.

Walking toward the bizarre white anomaly, he began to realize it was human in shape. _It might be a body._ The thought raced through his mind like a bullet before he could stop it, and he broke out into a run, his hat blowing off his head in the sudden breeze.

"Hey!" Ellis yelled, grabbing at his hat and skidding to a stop in the dirt in front of the person shaped object. Scrambling on his knees to the person's form-he could clearly see that's what it was now that it was right in front of him-he flipped them over onto their back.

The man lying in front of him was, indeed, breathing, if only shallowly, and his faced was all bloodied up. Behind the filth smeared across his face, there was a set of sharp features on a face that seemed a bit more aged than he was used to seeing, and if he had to guess the man's age, he'd put it at his late thirties. The man was clearly younger than Coach but older than Rochelle. Faint worry lines and crows' feet were visible but his face was relaxed despite the fat lip and possibly broken nose.

Ellis couldn't help but brush his fingers across the man's face, feeling the faint tickle of stubble under his fingertips. It was like he was making sure the stranger was really there and this wasn't some strange dream. The strange bloody man stirred, groaning softly, his face scrunching up in pain.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Ellis pulled his hand away. The man opened his mouth and inhaled sharply, his voice shaky. "W-what the hell happened?"

His eyes opened slowly, revealing a shade of light jade in a color Ellis wasn't sure was even possible for eyes to be. One eye was swollen nearly shut but the other was open wide and then narrowed as he tried to sit up but couldn't, wincing at the tender feeling in his torso.

"Hey, man, what's your name?" Ellis leaned over him, hands on his knees, The man groaned, again. "N-Nick.. Nick Cornell."

"Awrighty, Nick, can you tell me what happened to you and why yer on my property?" Ellis smiled politely. "Y'look awfully banged up there."

Nick's hand flew to his face, gingerly feeling his injuries, and wincing when he reached a painful spot, particularly the bridge of his nose.

"I think.. I think I got jumped.." He replied, thoughtfully touching the bruises on his face.

Ellis grew worried, both for his newfound acquaintance and for his family, meaning Coach, Rochelle and Louis. If some stranger to this place was attacked by a band of mysterious marauders, then who's to say the only black family here wouldn't be targeted as well?

He shook the thought from his head and focused on getting Nick off of the ground and on his feet. "Up an' at 'em, man. We cain't have you out here so long. Let's get inside so we can getcha cleaned up an' you can tell me how you got out here in my field, awright?"

The fellow, Mr. Cornell, was shorter than he expected when he finally managed to haul him to his feet. Ellis swung Nick's arm across his strong shoulders and helped him hobbled back to the house. Nick's left arm seemed to hang at his side, uselessly, as if it were broken or out of it's socket.

He pulled the backdoor open with his free hand and helped Nick to the kitchen, setting him down in a chair by the kitchen table.

Possibly delirious from pain or being out in the elements all night, Nick murmured, "Nice place.."

Ellis smiled, feeling a warm bit of pride welling up in his chest. "It was my mama's.."

He leaned Nick back. "you sit tight and I'll get something to clean your face off.

Stepping back, he grabbed a bowl from a nearby cupboard, and a rag from near the sink, filling the bowl with steaming water. Dipping the rag in the hot water, he wrung it out and brought it to the stranger's face.

The warmth brought him around a bit and he blinked. "Why are you doing this? Helping me, I mean.."

The kid smiled brightly. "M' mama always said to treat everybody nicely. I'm your friendly good Samaritan. Like in the Bible."

"Heh, the Bible, huh?" He shook his head stiffly. "Haven't really met anybody that still read it.." He closed his eyes, relaxing as Ellis bathed his face in luxuriant feeling water.

"Nice t'meet someone that does, huh?" Ellis smiled as he wiped the blood from his lips.

Nick sighed. "It's just nice to meet somebody who only takes the good parts to heart. You know, all that Sunday school shit. The Golden rule and all that."

The kid laughed, an infectious sound that had Nick cracking a weak smile as well. "My mama was the one who taught me to treat others how you'd want 'em to treat ya."

"You must really love your mom, eh, kid?" Nick looked up at him, sitting forward, most of the slime and gack off of his face. "Where is she anyway?"

The teen's smile faded in an instant and he looked sharply away, biting his lip. "She died to years ago. Middle a' my sophomore year."

"Oh, shit, I didn't know. Ain't that a shame.." Nick murmured with as much feeling as he could muster, sounding a bit too sympathetic for his own tastes. He licked his dry lips. "You alone here then, kid?"

"I ain't no kid, man." Ellis replied, suddenly defensive.

Nick put his good hand up. "Whoa, kid, I'm just asking, you don't need to be worried about me doing anything."

The young hillbilly visibly relaxed. "O-okay.. Yeah, but I really live down the road. The name is Ellis, by th' way. Not kid."

"Well.. Big house to keep up by yourself, even if you don't really live here. Don't you have school, ki-Ellis? How old are you?"

Ellis shifted awkwardly. "I'll be nineteen this Sunday."

Nick looked down at his hands, mentally doing the math and comparing to back when he was in high school. "You're a senior, aren't you? Isn't that a bit old to be a senior?"

"Naw. My mama always said I was a summer baby, an' school doesn't end until after my birthday."

Nick smirked. "Yeah, I'm going on 39 this year so you're definitely still a kid compared to me, and so I'll call you kid."

Ellis wiped his face again and wrung out the rag, silent for a moment. "There ya go. All clean now."

It looked far worse when it was covered in blood, though his nose was swollen as well as one of his eyes, huge bruises dotting his cheeks and mouth.

Even with his face all beat up as it was, Nick was quite a handsome man in Ellis' eyes and he quickly felt his face heat up at the thought.

Ducking his head and fixing his hat, the teen murmured to him. "Y-you can stay here 'til you git back on yer feet."

He needed to get out of there fast, before he said something stupid to the stranger. He needed to get away from this Nick fellow before he started to think about _other_ things.

His mouth slowly opened of its own accord and out flowed the sentence he never was really planning to say out loud. "Why d'ya think you got beat up?"

Nick leaned back with some effort, stretching his long legs out under the table. "I'd have to hazard a guess and say it was because I'm gay. And I guess they somehow guessed correctly. He quirked up an eyebrow and shrugged, the action making him look years younger, like a child almost. "Some people can't handle knowing that about me, but you look pretty understanding, kid. Hopefully that doesn't change anything.."

Ellis' eyes went wide and his blush intensified tenfold at what he was insinuating.

"Just thought I'd warn you, kid. In case you were serious about planning on letting me stay here."

"I-I ain't met a gay guy before." He let out a nervous chuckle, ducking his head again, trying to fight the urge to think about Keith and compare him to Nick.

"You have a problem with it, kid?" he asked, almost apologetically.

Ellis' head shot up and he flushed red from the tips of his ears to the rest of his face. "N-n-naw, I-I-" He let his voice trail off and he jumped up to his feet quickly. "I-I'll go make you up a place to sleep, so just sit tight here for a tick."

Nick watched him bustle out of the kitchen in a rush, curiously. _That is one strange kid.._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The "hey buddy" part cracked up the same friend I had the conversation with btw. No, I have no clue why. The say she read it aloud made us all crack up. XD<strong>

**I was savin' that bacon. I wa-I was savin' it. **

**Good Lord almighty, there's so many Narmy bits in this movie. **

**Anyway, onto the good stuff. You probably don't wanna hear me yammer on about Will Smith anymore. Um, okay, this chapter has ended and Nick and Ellis have interacted for the first time. :F if there's any weird bits or inconsistencies you can see. Please feel free to point them out to me in a review. And now my leg is getting tired from me sitting on it so I think I shall retire for the night once this is up. **

**R&R if you please~**

**TFFLM**


	4. Shower

**AN: Um, I put the first three chapters of this on dA now, so if you want, you can read it on there now. :D Listening to Coheed and Cambria as I type this. XD Yess, that's just how awesome I am. Um, um, I know I promised to update Repo Girl but I have yet to find the notebook, so.. :I soon, I promise, I promise! Okay, I promised to warn all of my readers about the smutty bits. Okay, so I believe there may be some tiny bit of smut. If you feel uncomfortable, feel free to tell me so in a review~!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything herein, or anything that could be perceived as a reference to anything else. Thank you and have a nice day. **

* * *

><p>"Y-yeah, your bed's made up if y'wanna go lay down or somethin'.." Ellis stepped back into the kitchen, wringing his hat in his hands behind his back. Nick licked his lips again and sucked in air. "Ah, mind if I take a shower? You do have running water in this place, right?"<p>

The kid huffed and made a face. "A'course we do; we ain't total savages."

Nick laughed, "Alright, whatever, don't have a heart attack." He tried to stand. "Ugh, gonna need some help over here, kid."

Ellis flew to his side. "Hold on a sec, I'll help ya." Hooking an arm around his back and under his elbows, he hauled him to his feet with a soft grunt. "Y'think you can stand in the shower?"

He walked, or rather, hobbled, beside him. "I'll manage."

The young teen flushed bright red. "You okay gettin' undressed by yourself then?"

Nick snorted, shaking his head, his tone teasing. "Why? You planning on seeing me naked?"

The young farm boy stopped and got all tongue tied at that. "N-n-naw,"

"What, afraid I'll try to seduce you? Or that you'll catch the Gay?" He replied, sarcastically, eyeing the red faced teen.

"N-naw, man, I jus' wanna give a fellow guy some privacy." He waved his hands in front of his face, trying to distract him from his red face.

He nodded slowly, trying to figure out just what was up with the teen.. "'S not something you haven't seen before."

Ellis looked up at him sharply. This guy expected him to help him get in the nude? He bit his lip. Yes, they were strangers, but that wasn't the part that got to him. It was that Nick was so damn attractive. He didn't know if he could handle it, without it turning into another Keith scenario. Blood flooded his cheeks at that thought. But if he refused, Nick would assume something was up. _But,_ his mind tried to rationalize,_ if I say yes to helping him out and something does happen, and I see him naked, what will he think of me?_

"L-look, kid, you don't have t'do this if youre uncomfortable.:" The stranger began, his voice apologetic.

"Naw, man, it's okay, awright?" Ellis nodded to him, smiling a little to make light of the situation. "As long as ya don't try nothing.."

"'Course not, kid." Nick flashed him a surprisingly handsome smile, despite the bits of blood still staining his teeth. "You're way too young for me anyway." He added under his breath.

"What was that, man?" Ellis' head shot up to look at him.

"Nothin', it was nothing, okay?" Nick bowed his head, shaking it like he was trying to get bad thoughts out of his head.

The kid gave him a shy smile. "Awright, man. Whatever you say." He looked back at him. "Now, while youre in the shower, I'll be getting ready for work. Jus' holler if you need anything."

The young man removed his hat, brushing the hair back off of his forehead. It was a nice shade of near auburn, wavy and cut short to the scalp with a few longer strands that hung down more near his face. It hit his face well and Nick found it to be quite good looking on the teen.

Ellis was trying to avoid his eyes as he helped him to the bathroom and set him on the edge of the bathtub. "Awright, lets getcha undressed." His voice was quiet, trying not to make the situation any more awkward.

Nick leaned forward, one hand on his knee, the other trying to undo the buttons of his blue shirt and shrug out of his jacket as well.

"L-lemme help.." Ellis rushed to him, crouching to be level with his chest, his long fingers working his filthy white jacket off of his shoulders, a faint blush slowly coming to his face. His deft fingertips made quick work of the buttons, pulling the shirt off of his shoulders as well.

His left shoulder was clearly bruised dark purple and he winced when he had to move his arm to get the shirt off. Ellis examined him, especially the large oval shaped bruise on his ribs. "Oh shit, y'must have gotten beat up pretty bad there, man."

Nick grimaced when the young hillbilly palpated his ribs. "Yer lucky y'didn't break any. Once I broke a few ribs puttin' up new shingles on the roof an' fixing a leak. 'Course I didn't mean to fall, the roof was just slippery cause it rained the night before and it froze up.

He leaned back, letting Ellis talk, the sound soothing, his fingertips feeling nice against his skin. "Mmhm, 've never broken a bone 'cept my middle finger once. And that was on purpose, lemme tell you."

The kid laughed softly, his breath blowing goosebumps across Nick's bruised flesh. "I broke almost every bone in my body, except the tiny ones in my ear, Y'know? Me an' Keith.." He hesitated. "Back when we were friends.. We, uh, built this go-kart and I was in the hospital almost the whole school year. Both of us had to redo our 8th grade year." he finished, quietly. "After that, the only time I got hurt ever was on accident helping my mama or when Keith and his friends beat me up."

Nick clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Y'know, kid, you're really kinda sweet. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were faking, but I don't think I've ever met anybody as sincere as you."

Ellis flushed, straight to the tips of his ears, barely visible under his wavy caramel hair. "J-jus' doin' what my mama taught me to do.

He pulled away slowly, not meeting Nick's eyes. "'Kay, man, you're good. Jus' don't play any football or nothing an' it shouldn't hurt much.."

Nic rubbed his sore side gingerly, feeling the tight feeling when he inhaled, being gentle with his fingertips.

"'M gonna get ready for work when you're in, so just sit tight if you need help getting out."

"Y-yeah.." Nick grimaced, attempting to unbutton his filthy slacks, but unable to because of his stiff hands.

Ellis dipped his head, his flushed face heating up. "D-d'ya need some help wit' that?"

Nick groaned softly, frustrated. "Please.."

The young farmer pushed Nick's weak hands away and knelt in front of him, swiftly unbuttoning his pants. Nick clenched his eyes shut to avoid looking at the vision in front of him, the sight of Ellis like that sending blood to his face and to areas further south.

He held his breath for just a tense moment as he was _sure_ the kid could feel it.

If he did, he didn't show it, sliding his pants down past his ankles carefully an taking them off of him past his shoes. Folding them up, he looked to Nick, trying hard to hide his blush. "W-want me t'git those?" He gestured to the man's baby blue boxers.

Nick felt a sudden jolt, the most lecherous thoughts running through his mind. He couldn't believe what he wanted to say. He felt his mouth move of its own accord. "Sure.."

The kid didn't seem t be expecting that answer and flushed even harder. 'U-uhm, awright, man.." He wondered why the hell he was acing and feeling like this. He liked girls. He liked Zoey! _And Keith.._ He closed his eyes to think of Zoey or even of Keith but all he could think of was how close to Nick he was, and the sudden sensation of touching hard flesh. He recognized it almost instantly, as soon as he felt it, and he wasn't so much disgusted as just _fascinated_.

Ellis never really found himself to be attractive but here it was, an unmistakable and undeniable sign he turned Nick on. Glancing up, he noticed Nick's eyes were closed, like he was relaxed.

As he slid the silky boxers down the other man's legs, his fingertips brushed against the hardened organ for just a moment. Nick inhaled sharply, which made him pull away quickly. Ellis busied himself with turning on the water while his face burned. The older man slipped his feet out of his beat up loafers. He wasn't wearing socks.

Ellis felt a hand touch his heated cheek and it tilted his face up.

"Thanks, kid." He smiled weakly at the teen.

Ellis didn't hear what he was saying, his eyes flickering across Nick's face. He leaned up and in slowly, as if he was going to kiss him. _It was just like how it was with Keith…_

Their lips were inches apart and the teen was closing in as they moved closer and closer. He was moments away from pressing his lips to the stranger's.

Nick looked right at him and then down at the bathtub. "K-kid, the bathtub's overflowing.."

Ellis flushed to the tips of his ears and pulled away quickly. "R-right, okay.." He shut off the water faucet. "W-want me to go or do you need help still?"

The easterner was shaken, the little country boy was going to kiss him. The little hick that probably went to school with the dicks that jumped him. He might-No, it wasn't possible. There was no way in hell this adorable little hillbilly was gay. It had to have been his imagination. But the kid _didn't_ mention a girlfriend though. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I'm good, kid, thanks."

He attempted to stand and nearly fell over when his battered knees buckled. Ellis caught him around the chest. "C-careful, man.."

Nick put his hands on Ellis' waist for support and balance. "I'm okay, really.."

The hillbilly blushed bright red, for what had to be the hundredth time in an hour, as Nick's hard on was still visible and insistently pressing against him. Pulling away quickly, he let go and Nick had to put his hands against either side of the tub and shower.

The young man backed up. "I-I'll get you a towel."

Nick stepped into the hot water, turning on the shower head. It was one of those old fashioned ones where, in order to use it, one would have to turn on the faucet first and then the shower head separately.

Ellis ran out of the room and into his own as fast as he could, covering his red face. Flopping down onto the bed, and burying his face in his pillow, he groaned. "Why am I crushing on some guy I just met!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Bwahaha. Um, I've been listening to Coheed and Cambria the entire time I wrote this, so yeah. XD Um, somewhat inappropriate yes, so comment in a review if you think I should do more smut sooner than anticipated. Um, please review and I will give you a big hug and touch your faces in a creepy manner. <strong>

**Sayonara and kisses~**

**R&R please~**

**TFFLM out**


	5. Keith

**AN: Alrighty, I don't know if you'll get this but I'm just going to add in teeny tiny mentions of smutty stuff but nothing too bad, okay? XD Um, just finished the new chap of repo girl like I promised, but I'm sick, and my throat is killing me.. XP Listening to Coheed and Cambria on youtube again, it helps me relax and write well. -shrugs- Um, yeah. Reviews are awesome, and I've been getting a lot. I guess that means I have a fan base now. I'm feeling too sickly to look them all up so I'll just give a big thank you to all of the readers of this story! It's people like you that help me keep writing. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything referenced in here, nor do I work for or own anything VALVe has ever come up with. **

* * *

><p>Nick softly let out a low groan as he felt his body go slack in release, relaxing against the wall, panting, washing his sticky hand in the water that was swiftly losing it's heat. <em>Damn kid<em>, _making me feel like this.. _

He let the water continue to beat soothing patterns along his back and side, leaned against the shower wall, trying to clean up the mess he had just made, rinsing off his body.

Finally, Nick managed to turn the shower off after a few moments of indecisive -but delicious- warmth. Opening the clear plastic shower curtain, he shivered and grabbed the towel.

Wrapping it around his waist as well as he could, Nick stepped out into the bathroom. He went straight to the mirror and wiped away the fog clouding the surface. Grimacing at his own image, he touched his puffy cheek.

"Damn it." He hissed in pain, making a face in the mirror.

The young hillbilly heard the water shut off, and thank god, nothing else, and went to check on him, his hands in the pockets of his coveralls.

The older man opened the door, looking right to ellis, who was also about to open the door as well, surprise evident on his face.

"Hey, man, you're done, I see."

Nick quirked up an eyebrow, examining the teen, looking him up and down appraisingly.. "Nice overalls, kid."

Ellis flushed once again. Nick was getting good at making him blush. "T-these are _coveralls_, man."

He made a dismissive hand waving movement. "Overalls, coveralls, whatever. Same difference, kid."

The hillbilly made a face, brushing his hands off on his legs, and changing the subject. "I-I gotta go to work, okay?"

Ellis flashed a guilty smile at him, sending a zinging feeling straight to Nick's groin. _Goddamn it, this kid is trying to get in my pants, isn't he? He's so fucking adorable.. _

"You'll be alright here all alone?"

_Of fucking course I'll be alright, kid. I'm not a baby, or some convict. Plus if you smile at me one fucking time, I'll have to have my hand as company again too. _Nick thought to himself, raising his eyebrows. "You're leaving me, a stranger, alone in your house? What if your girlfriend or someone comes in? You can't possibly live all alone like this."

The young farmer laughed awkwardly and flushed, the sound making Nick's heart rate speed up. "I ain't got a girlfriend, man. An' I do live alone when I stay here.

Nick looked away deliberately, his skin dry now, goosebumps prickling up on his skin, all over. _No girlfriend then._

"Must be really lonely out here."

Ellis shook his head, scratching his chin. "Yeah, maybe just a little. Nearest neighbors 're almost a quarter of a mile down. Those are the ones I stay with sometimes. An' I haven't had anybody over since.." _Keith._.

He stopped, his face heating up. With that vague hint at a double entendre, Nick glanced at him. "Since when?"

"N-never mind, it's nothing.."

The older man was intrigued but knew better than to press the topic. "Y'don't want to talk about it. Okay, I got it.."

Ellis nodded and smiled warmly at his understanding. It took all of Nick's willpower not to make any noise when he did so.

"So what time do you get off from work, kid?" Nick changed the subject quickly, crossing his legs.

"At four.. I'll be back soon enough." He flashed him a radiant smile, brushing a hand through his curly hair, his ball cap held by the brim in his hand. Nick bit his tongue to keep from saying anything inappropriate. "An' y'might wanna take some pain killers and go to sleep or something."

_Yeah, or something_, Nick thought, as he glanced to the clock on the wall, one that looked like an antique and maybe handmade. It was about a quarter to seven. The older man usually wasn't even up this early. "Gladly." He replied, suddenly feeling the effects of not getting enough sleep last night.

The young hillbilly carefully placed the hat back on his head. "I put a bottle of aspirin and some water on the bedside table for you, awright?"

Nick grinned back appreciatively, unaware he looked like a wolf about to eat it's prey, his smile more lecherous and creepy than he let on. "Thanks, kiddo."

Ellis ducked his head and blushed at the affectionate term, not catching the perverted smile. "I-it's no problem, man.."

"If you say so.." Nick said, and then paused like he was trying to figure out what to say next. "See you at four then, _Overalls_." He shot him a big mischievous and almost spiteful grin. Ellis grinned back and slipped out the door.

* * *

><p>He drove his big old truck down main street and into town, the body of the machine rust free, glinting silver and blue in the sunlight, the way he kept it, as well as his mama, and his dad before her and maybe even his grandpa before him. The truck had been in his family for years, and it was still in excellent condition, the same color and everything as well.<p>

He pulled into the parking lot of the car shop where he worked ever since he was old enough. It was where his mama and dad had met as well.

His blood ran cold and a peculiar excitement rushed through his veins when he recognized the tall redhead smoking a cigarette out in front._ What was Keith doing here? _

Ellis pulled up to the front and acted like he didn't see the smoker, parking and getting out of the truck. He would have gotten away with it too if only Keith didn't spot him.

"Well, if it isn't little Ellis!" He crowed, stamping the cigarette out underfoot. "Aw, man, you shoulda come with us last night. Unless yer still a fag. Y'know, we found one of those guys outside yer property on the way home from the game last night." He flushed a cruel smile at him. "We got 'im good too."

Ellis paled, staring at him.

"A friend of yours, dude?" He smirked.

"N-n-What are you doing here anyway? Jus' trying to get me to hate goin' to work too?" he looked away, his face white as a sheet.

Keith whipped out another cigarette and put it to his mouth, lighting it. He took a deep drag, inhaling, as Ellis watched the tip glow, trying not to focus on his face or the fact that he was beginning to understand what might of happened to Nick.

"Naw, man, just getting my truck fixed up. Old man Virgil won't let me smoke inside." He blew a large plume of bittersweet smoke in the teen's face.

"A'course not, there's gasoline in there." He waved the smoke away, coughing a little, his eyes watering.

Keith laughed again and then spat out the butt of the cigarette, smashing it quickly and putting it out underfoot when someone walked out of the shop. It was just another customer, but Keith thought it was Virgil. Technically he wasn't supposed to be smoking within twenty feet of the car garage.

While Keith was otherwise occupied by the cigarettes in his breast pocket, Ellis slipped off into the garage, far away from him, in the oil scented sanctuary known as Virgil's garage. He could feel his heart pounding. Keith was right outside and he said he hurt and tried to kill someone on his property last night. It wasn't possible that it was _Keith_ that hurt Nick, was it?

Ellis swallowed hard, and went to go get punched in for work, passing Virgil and his fellow employees, them waving to him as he passed. He chanced a glance out the garage doorway, watching Keith look back up after fingering the box of cigarettes in his breast pocket.

"That little prick.." Keith glanced around when he realized Ellis was gone. "Knew something was up with him."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Welp, I'm finished with the newest chapter. Keith is an asshole, I know. XD I'll get to writing the next chapter for you guys when I'm feeling better, okay? And that is a promise. C: <strong>

**Review please?**

**TFFLM Out**


	6. Smoking

**AN: Hiya, guys! I know it's been a little while since I last updated this story, but not as much of a lapse in time than my other fanfics which I'll probably remove eventually if I don't bother to update them anymore. XD So yeah, this one I'm just sitting down to write; I have the most basic plan of what I'm doing planned out but I don't have it written out on paper already. So please bear with me, ma cheries~~ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything within this story, not the characters within, nor the area it takes place in. I only own two copies of Left 4 Dead and one copy of Left 4 Dead 2**

* * *

><p>Keith, the bastard, must have nearly smoked the whole pack of cigarettes by the time his truck was finished up in the garage. That couldn't possibly be good for his lungs, or the rest of the football team for that matter. Ellis didn't get it. How could he possibly be that much of a chain smoking chimney and still manage to rein in every win for the football season?<p>

The smell of smoke was sickening too, and he would know, because his Mama said his dad would smoke and that it would stink up the whole house. What she didn't mention was that she would smoke nearly a pack a day trying to keep the smell of his cigarettes around because she missed him so. Ellis never knew his Mama smoked until the doctor told him; that was when the doctor told him his Mama wasn't long for this world. Six months at the most, he gave her, and it was sobering news. Ellis drove her home that day in silence, terrified to the point of shaking. He couldn't lose his Mama too. But he did, and it made him stronger because of it. Sure, he got lonely at times but he still could see his friends, especially Rochelle and Zoey. It was funny how most of his friends were girls.

But little ol' Ellis could tune out the stink of cigarette smoke and focus on his job, no matter how distracting he found the smell, and how much it made his throat hurt, even from all the way inside. It wasn't an ache of the air being hard to breathe, it was the fact that a lump had risen in his throat and it was really difficult for him to overcome the melancholy feeling suffocating him. He wasn't sure why he felt like he wanted to cry, but he did. He wiped at his eyes when he was sure no one was looking, and he didn't notice until moments later that he had smeared grease across his forehead and the bridge of his nose.

The absurdity of the juxtaposition of the oddly comforting reek of grease and the smell of smoke made his head hurt, and he felt like he was going to be sick. He glanced over at the clock on the wall and was relieved to see it was four o' clock. Glancing over his shoulder to Virgil, at work with one of the newer employees, he called out, "See ya tomorrow, sir," as he went to leave.

He stopped short when he realized Keith was still out there. A shiver went down his spine as he swallowed hard, trying to keep his breathing under control as he walked out the garage door past him. It was almost as if Keith didn't notice him, up until he got to his truck.

As soon as the young hillbilly swung the large door open, Keith appeared on the other side as if by magic. Making the young man jump nearly out of his skin, the smoker leaned an elbow against the car. "You ran outta there like a cat on a hot tin roof, eh, El'? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were scared'a me." He laughed, his thin lips spreading into a grin. "Yer not scared'a me, are ya, kiddo?"

Ellis stuttered out an answer. "N-naw, man. Why'd I be scared'a yew?" He was gripping the seatbelt as tightly as his fingers would allow, his entire hands going white from the pressure.

The carrot-topped smoker laughed again, and it sent more shivers down the kid's spine, goosebumps rising across his skin. He couldn't help but think about his laugh back before Keith got mean and started hanging out with the wrong crowd. It brought heat to his face.

"Ya looked mighty pale when I first saw you go into the garage. Was it somethin' I said?" He smirked, when he knew Ellis would splutter and go redder. "Like I said, kiddo, yer welcome ta hang out with us, as long as ya promise not ta be a sissy faggo anymore. We can't have ya lookin' at our asses and tryin'a get into our pants."

Ellis looked away, trying really hard not to say anything that would make him beat him up or something. His eyes were starting to burn like he was going to cry and he scrubbed at the grease marks, pretending to clean off his face while making sure he didn't cry in front of his old crush. (W-wait, crush? Since when did he call Keith that? Sure, it was probably true, but still.. The thought alone made him blush harder.)

"Like I said, kiddo, we've missed ya around." His voice sounded uncharacteristically _kind_, and it took Ellis by surprise. "'Member when we used ta hang out at yer house?" He leaned in a little, searching the kid's face, as if for a weak chink in the façade he was using. The young hillbilly swallowed hard, yet again, when Keith licked his dry lips, way too close for comfort. It was almost as if he was begging him to kiss him and go back to how they were. The kid didn't want to chance it though. _What if he's jus' messin' around?_

"N-naw, man. I'm busy at home, remember?" He finally managed to find his voice, it squeaking a little more than he would have liked. "Got a guest at home an' everything…"

Keith laughed softly, sending goosebumps down Ellis' skin, prickling his hairs up at the soft puff of smoke-scented air, a tiny bit of warmth starting to pool in his stomach. 'I'll see ya around, eh, kiddo?" He slipped away from the truck's body, slipping his hands into his pockets as the kid just stared at his back, wondering what the hell that was all about and why he suddenly started calling him "kiddo". It was weird and it freaked him out, butterflies exploding in his stomach, nervous chills setting through him. Why was Keith acting like that?

* * *

><p>Nick couldn't sleep, even though every inch of him ached and his eyelids felt so very heavy. He had to admit, the kid was really cute, and tried to kiss him, and didn't have a girlfriend. Either this was a dream or the kid maybe liked him a bit more than he gave him credit for. The older man pinched himself, his hand like a bag of cement, nearly exhausted. <em>Nope<em>, he thought to himself, closing his eyes tightly,_ definitely not a dream_. Then there was the unlikely option that the little auburn haired kid was just curious. Like he said, he hadn't met a gay guy before.

Nick sighed. _Oh, Nicky boy, what have you gotten yourself into this time? _He pressed his heavy hands to his eyes and tried to fall asleep, but it eluded him. His thoughts quickly, far too quickly to be rationally, flew to the image of the cute little hillbilly. He bit his lip, wincing when his teeth grazed the wounds on his face. _Kid's got me all wound up, damn it._ And, as if with a releasing catharsis with that thought, he was allowed, blessedly to sink into oblivion, his worn body relaxing finally.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Welp, maybe Keith has feelings for Ellis still, and maybe is a little suspicious. I have big things planned for this story. Mwahaha. XD<strong>

**Hokay, read and review, please? :D I love you all! -blows kisses-**

**R&R**

**TFFLM out~!**


	7. Creepy Bikers

**AN: Ahaha. Pharaoh is pleased~ xDD alright, I'm wearing this Egyptian hat thingy that goes with my dad's old Halloween costume, and listening to the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. And Ralph Fiennes is UH-MAY-ZING. XD Oh god, and um, I've been writing another whole bunch of stuff. Yeah, and been going from watching Prince of Egypt to scary Asian horror movies. I tried to watch the Thai version of Shutter but wimped out and went back to PoE just in time to get traumatized by Martin Short and Steve Martin's frightening as hell singing abilities on one of the songs from PoE. Yeah, scary as hell. XD Another thing, happy (late) Halloween, guys. XD I got into a new fandom a little bit. Avengers. Fricken superheroes. XD I wanna cosplay as FemmeTony Stark, or 'Toni' as someone called the design I'd be going with. It's not the canon female Tony Stark but it still works. :D Yeah, I do need to work on more fics and stuff. I promised my sister I'd write her an mpreg bandfic. Oh dear god help me. XD Um, in other news, I got new pens. YAY. They're blue and they match my notebook, the one I wrote this in. XD So, anyway, onto the story. You'll like this one, because a certain adorably lovable biker guy is in this chapter. ;D Also angst is coming up soon, and a teeny tiny insight into what I'm going with for Nick's past. If you find it, you'll be treated to a possible little spoiler I may send in a pm to you if you mention it in a review. :D Um, anyway, onto the story~**

**Disclaimer: I do not anything within this fandom, except for a personal copy of both games. Not even the supporting characters. Except like one, and he'd be the only one created by me, but the idea for his character came from a story written by someone named Katanisk on dA. Jeez, I barely even know them, and probably have only talked to them once in passing, but they're awesome. Check them out. :D**

**Warning: Awkwardness and creepy bikers abound in this chapter. If you have delicate senses and cannot handle crude words and rape undertones, or anything of the sort, feel free to skip down past this scene to a much more family friendly one a few paragraphs down. Also ~~violence~~! -jazz hands-**

* * *

><p><em>Dammit, I should have called Dad. <em>Rochelle shook her head, thinking to herself. _He didn't know I was planning on coming home tonight. But now it doesn't matter. _She looked down at her beloved pink watch, checking the time. 2:15. She studied the watch for a moment longer. She remembered she didn't even like pink anymore but the gift was from her dad and she loved it no matter what.

It was really dark out, but it was still warm and she didn't need a jacket. She left it at home because she watched the weather channel. If she had to guess, it was probably still almost 70 degrees out. She had to pass this bar that was always swarming with assholes to get to the bus stop, and she had to get there before the last bus left. And that would be at 2:30.

"Hey, sugartits, why don'cha come over here and visit ol' Vic, hm?" There was a creepy biker by the entrance, with a cigarette in his hamfisted hand. The bastard probably needed to bathe, and looked greasier than anything she'd ever seen, even at the county fair or when her dad broke out the deep fryer, and _that_ was saying something. She wrinkled her nose at him and tried to walk a little faster, clutching her book bag closer to her chest protectively like a shield. She would have supposed later that she did it to put another layer between her and the dick coming up alongside her across the street, outside the bar she had to pass to get to the bus stop.

Even the bike of his was covered in grease. The freak licked his lips and puckered up as she started to cross the tiny intersection across from the bar that she assumed was for bikers. His thin lips, probably crusty from booze, puke and god knows what else, were surrounded by a mass of wiry hair that brought to mind a dead animal or steel wool. It too was filthy and covered with a nice mix of all of those things that coated his face. His mouth was curled up into a sneer. Ro barely suppressed a gag and shuddered.

"C'mere, you fucking bitch!" He suddenly yelled, with only a thin layer of sick saccharine sweetness to disguise the drunken rage and unbridled animalistic lust. She winced at his words and tried to move faster but was stopped short by a huge sweaty hand gripping her bicep roughly and jerking her back, twisting her arm behind her. Hot breath against her ear told her he had caught up to her long before her mind comprehended the pain wrenching her arm from the socket. She shied away from his face but he hissed out a retort. "You fucking little whore. Where do you think you're going?"

Rochelle attempted to jerk out of his grip, screaming for help. He clamped a hand on her throat, and squeezed hard enough that she blacked out for a moment, knees going weak as she started to panic even more.

"Hey!" A bark of a voice called out from the open doorway of the bar where a tall tattooed man stood. He must have been the one that called out. "C'mon, _Victoria_, picking on defenseless college girls again? Why don'cha scram, you perverted prick!"

Ro looked over at her savior with wide eyes. He was coming up behind the pervert with a bottle, and he swung it hard toward the back of his head. It hit the would-be rapist with a loud shatter, splashing the two of them with lukewarm beer. The bearded bear-like biker dropped like a rock, letting go of her with a loud thump. She stood there, panicked, for a moment, dripping with beer. The other man, the tall one who saved her, just stood there as well, legs spread out, weight distributed evenly in a fighting stance. He wore a look that suggested that maybe he didn't expect that to work as well as it did.

She started to back up, trying to get to the bus stop.

"Hey, wait, lady! Don't I get any thanks for, y'know, saving your life?" He started striding toward her on long legs, tossing the bottle away with a soft crash. She glared at him over her shoulder, honestly _glared_, and it was the scariest, most intimidating glare he had ever had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of.

"Thank you? You showered me with booze!" She turned to face him completely and her face felt like it was burning.

"Lady, that guy, Vic, is an asshole and you're lucky I got there in time, or you'd probably be dead in a ditch somewhere by now."

Rochelle looked down at her feet, arms pressing the book bag she had somehow managed to keep a grip on closer to her chest, her arms folded tightly. She _was_ indeed sopping wet, soaked through with booze.

"Look, I'm sorry I got that piss they sold at the bar back there on you, but let me at least take you home or something. I promise, no funny business."

She looked skeptical but begrudgingly agreed.

"My bike's over there. Get on and I'll bring you home. He nodded toward his Harley, his tone apologetic.

"Do you just expect me to trust you?" She asked, eyeing him and sizing him up in case he tried anything. She decided that, if it came to it, she could probably bludgeon him with her books. It seemed bikers were more susceptible to blows to the head than the Average Joe; it was almost like their only weakness.

"Seriously, lady, it's either you ride with me or walk home, or wait 'til morning for the first bus. Do either, I don't care. But I'd rather not have a death on my conscience, so I'd advise you to get on." he swung his leg onto the bike. "If you're getting on, there's a helmet if you want to stay safe."

Ro hesitated, swinging her backpack onto her back. "I don't even know you!"

"The name's Francis. And I stand more of a chance of being a victim of a crazy lady beating me to death with her books than you are of getting assaulted. I may be an asshole but I respect women. Now get on or I'm leaving you behind." He grumbled, revving the motor.

"A-alright, _Francis_," She replied, swinging her leg over the Harley behind him and wrapping her arms around his torso. The girl was reluctant to put her hands on him, but once she did, her heart sped up a little and her entire body was vibrating from the bike's power.

"Now what's your name, lady?" Francis yelled over the roar of the motor. "And put your helmet on!"

"I'm Rochelle." She called out right back as he pulled out of the parking lot, revving down the road under the lights, the entire street deserted. "And I'll be fine." As an afterthought, she added, "And I'm not some 'lady', I'm probably younger than you!"

The biker laughed and revved up the power, turning a corner sharply. She had to grip onto him tighter as her heart raced. She wasn't sure if it was the speed of the bike or the proximity to the warm male in front of her (that, admittedly, smelled rather nice) that was making her heart soar. "So, Ro, where do you want me to take you?" He laughed again at his little rhyme.

Rochelle chanced a glance down at herself. "I smell like booze. My dad'll kill me if I go home like this."

"I don't _have_ to take you home then. Your secret's safe with me. Crazy over-protective dad? Got it. Anywhere else you want me to bring you?" He narrowed his eyes from the wind, driving dust up into his eyes as he picked up more speed.

"Um.." She thought about it for a second. "How about you take me to my friend's house? He'll let me stay over and get cleaned up probably. And my dad wouldn't care." _Or even know,_ she added mentally.

"This guy, he your boyfriend then?" Francis teased, sounding a little bit too curious for his own good. He turned another corner sharply, and this time she was sure it was the speed that was making her heart start to race.

"N-no!" Rochelle cried out. "I-I meant no, I don't like him that way. He's like my little brother." _Not to mention the fact that she thought he was probably gay._

"Uh-huh, _riiight_. Your dad would kill you, right?"

Her face flushed. "No, I just.. I don't have a boyfriend. The last one dumped me for some blonde bitch that put out on the first date." She huffed and leaned her chin against his back.

"Okay, whatever. I didn't ask for your whole life story.." He replied testily, and immediately regretted saying it. She shut up almost instantly and his heart went out to her. He wasn't being a wuss or anything, he just felt bad for her and honestly didn't mind listening to her. "…Sorry for that. I didn't mean it like that."

Rochelle looked over at the houses coming up on the street. "Just turn down here and it's down the road."

He did what she told him to do and slowed to a stop in front of the large blue grey house. "This it?"

She pulled away from him, reluctantly, getting off the bike and looking up to the house. One of the lights were on in Ellis' room. He was awake then. Good. "Y-yeah, this is it."

The girl started walking down the walkway leading to the house and rang the doorbell. It took a moment for the hick to answer, and Ro backed up, thinking that maybe he wasn't home or left the lights on or something. But eventually a thoroughly red and flustered looking Ellis answered.

"R-Ro! Hey, girl, how've you been? Shoot, it's been a while, hasn't it? C-come in!" he held the door open for her and shot a glance out past her to the bike. "An' who's yer friend?" He smiled a little, knowing Rochelle's habits and what kind of guy she went for. "Never mind, I think I know. Tell 'im he can come in too."

Rochelle looked to the biker and very hesitantly gestured for him to come to the door. He ambled up like a puppy, following her commands loyally.

"So, uh, El', this is, um.. Francis." The biker gave him a big grin, looking him up and down as if sizing him up for comparison to himself. "He gave me a ride home from college. S-some frat boys spilled beer on me. Can I take a shower and maybe, like, stay the night or something so I don't go home smelling like alcohol tomorrow/" Rochelle hastily explained, thinking up a lie on the spot. Francis looked over at her from over Ellis' shoulder and mouthed "Frat boys?"

The young, so very naïve, hillbilly seemed to believe her. "Yer lucky y'didn't get anything else thrown on ya." He smiled brightly. "There's towels in the bathroom, Ro. Help yerself."

She sighed, relieved, and made her way past him. "Thanks, Ellis. You're such a sweetie."

"Sweetie, eh?" Francis laughed, his tone teasing. "Sounds like there's something between you two, kid."

"N-naw, man, she's just.." He flushed red, and ducked his head, running his fingers through his curly hair. "She's like my sister.. Or my mom."

The biker snickered. Ellis watched him for a moment before opening his mouth to ask a question. "So, are you Rochelle's boyfriend or something?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Whoa, what?" He put his hands up. 'Kid, all I did was get her home." Francis rubbed the back of his neck. "Sure, she's cute an' all, but she's, like, y'know.."

"So, ya like her?" Ellis smirked. Apparently the kid could be devious when the mood struck him, or whenever he wanted to be. "Case if ya do, she's like my sister, and if ya hurt her, there'll be hell to pay."

Francis shook his head. "Kid, look, I'm not gonna hurt her or anything. I may look tough like this, but I'm no abusive rapist. Plus, I.. I probably won't even ask her out."

Ellis smirk widened. "If you don't, I'll tell her to ask you out, man."

The room grew quiet, awkwardly so, until a rather loud scream punctuated the silence. Both of them looked up, startled and worried.

"That sounded like Rochelle!" Francis looked to the younger man. He seemed awfully worried about a girl he had just met. Ellis found it a little odd, but a little cute too, actually.

The young hick got down the hall faster than Francis did because he knew exactly where to go. Skidding and nearly falling over as he slipped on the rug on the hall floor, he grabbed the door knob and wrenched the door open roughly. He didn't bother to notice the fact that the door wasn't even locked to begin with.

Inside, Ro was in the shower, and her head was sticking out from behind the clearish curtain, wet hair sticking to her face a little. A foot or so away was Nick, shirtless and in a pair of loose red flannel pajama pants that appeared to be the oversized pair Coach had gotten Ellis for Christmas the year before. Bandages covered his torso and he looked thoroughly embarrassed.

"O-oh, shit. I'm sorry, Ro. I shoulda warned you first." Ellis flushed, gripping the door knob hard.

"Y'think? Anyone care to tell me why there is a half naked stranger in this house?" Her voice was kind of shrill.

"L-look, I'll explain later, 'kay, Ro?" Ellis hurried out of the room, dragging nick alongside him as he stopped in the hall. "J-Jus' get dressed and finish up. I'll get you some clothes to wear while I wash yours."

Rochelle made a noise in the back of her throat, one of disgust and annoyance, and threw the curtain closed again to cover herself completely. "Just get out, okay?"

Nick put his hands on his hips. "I thought you said you didn't have a girlfriend, kiddo."

Ellis shut the door, leaning back against it. "She ain't my girlfriend.."

The other stranger, Ro's not-boyfriend, just gaped at the door, not believing he just saw what he did. "D-does this happen often?" Francis eyed the door, and eventually tearing his eyes away to look at Ellis and Nick. The young man had yet to let go of the older man's hand.

Francis cleared his throat awkwardly, making a point to look away. "Um. Are you two, like, together or something? Not that I have anything against fags or nothin', Rochelle just seems like a nice girl and I don't want her getting hurt."

Ellis' face heated up and he ducked his head, which seemed to be his habit when he was embarrassed. To try to change the subject, he muttered something about how Francis was awfully worried about a girl he just met.

Nick laughed softly at poor dear little Ellis' embarrassment, holding up his hands in a peaceful gesture, pulling his hand out of Ellis' grip. "You don't have to worry about me, man. Neither of you are my type." He nodded toward Rochelle in the bathroom.

"D-dude, I'd never do nothin' ta hurt Ro." Ellis looked up at the biker. "Why are ya so worried about her, man? You jus' met her, didn't you?"

Francis glanced to the door, making sure she couldn't hear him. "Don't tell her I told you this, but I just didn't give her a ride home. This, well, let's just call him a prick, this _prick_ was harassin' her at the bus stop. Yours truly came to her rescue, and I broke a bottle of the cheapest and shittiest beer ever known to man over the bastard's head and she got splashed with the piss swill. I'm guessing, from what she told me, that if her dad knew, he'd take her out of school. So don't say a word to anyone."

Ellis nodded. He knew just how bad Coach could get sometimes; he was like a papa bear whenever his little girl was threatened in any way. "It still doesn't answer my question though." He added softly.

Francis stuck his large hands into his pants pockets. "I may look like this but I still do good deeds once in a while. Plus it might have helped a little if I thought she was hot." He laughed, leaning away from the door.

(On the other side of the door, Rochelle was listening, and her face heated up so much at his words. _He thinks I'm hot?_)

"Then ya do like her!" Ellis exclaimed happily. The biker sent him a halfhearted glare.

"Shh, she can probably hear you." Then he looked to the door. "I bet she could kick my ass if she wanted to."

Ellis laughed hard at that.

"W-what's so funny? You think I'm some pussy for sayin' that or something?" Francis demanded, being defensive.

Shaking his head, the young hillbilly laughed. "Aw, naw, man. She could probably kick all of our asses without even breaking a sweat if she wanted to."

Nick piped up. "Hell, I've only just met her and I already feel like she has a death glare or something. Good god, she's like the nuns where I used to live!"

Ellis looked to Nick for a moment, wondering why there were nuns at his house before looking to Francis. "H-hey, man. It's like three in the morning. Yer welcome to stay the night. Plenty a' places ta crash."

"That actually sounds pretty good, really. You wouldn't mind if I stayed a bit longer than that though, do you? I bet the guy I knocked out and his cronies are after me now, and I should lay low, since I knocked out their leader." He chuckled a little.

Ellis thought for a second. "Well, if Ro trusts you, then I should too, maybe." He grinned up at the biker. "I don't see why not. The house is plenty big enough."

Nick looked up and down Francis' body, as if sizing him up, but didn't say anything. He didn't need to.

"Nick's stayin' with me too, jus' ta tell ya." The teen looked to the dark haired man who had started adjusting his bandages where they had come loose.

"Got it, kid. I'll steer clear of your _boyfriend_ then." Francis could tell the man, Nick, didn't like him already, from the look on his face, lip curled up in disgust.

Ellis' eyes got wide when Francis called Nick his boyfriend, and booked it out of there as quickly as his long legs could carry him, dragging Nick out and down the hall with him.

Francis watched them go, and hollered after them. "You guys mind if I take a shower next?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ahaha! Hello! It's a new chapter, and it's probably my longest one yet! XD Francis is introduced, and Rochelle is a bigger character! :D Please Read and Review.<strong>

**REVIEWERS GET FREE STALE HALLOWEEN CANDY**

**...from like four years ago!**

** :D**

**Cheers**

**TFFLM**


	8. 44 Magnum

**AN: Angst ahoy! Lol, yeah. I was good on my promise where I said that there wouldn't be much Frochelle in this chapter but I did mean it when I said we'd be delving into Nick's past. It may be a little sad and trigger-inducing so please feel free to skip this chapter if you can't handle extreme violence and abuse against women and children. Just remember, my views and the views of others in this story don't really agree. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this update~~!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of this, nor the story of nick's background, nor Ellis, nor a .44 magnum, nor anything else belonging to VALVe. **

* * *

><p>Ellis pulled the brunette into his bedroom and let Nick sit down against the bed, closing the door behind him slowly. He was going to get to the bottom of the whole thing of Nick's problems. Not to mention he was far too curious for his own good about the "nuns" the older brunette was referring to. The young hick sat across from Nick, in his mama's old rocking chair.<p>

"So, man, what was up with you an' Francis?"

Nick looked up at him sharply, studying him for a moment. "The guy just seems like a rat." He shook his head and mumbled something. "He reminds me of my father.."

The young hick narrowed his eyes,, getting a little defensive. "If Ro trusts him, then he should be okay. She's a good judge of character most of the time. An' yer dad? Why does he remind you of yer dad?"

"My dad was a no good bastard, and I was happy to get away from him any way I could." The brunette responded, begrudgingly, his hand on his chin.

"Didja run away or somethin'? He musta been really bad if you had to get out like that. I don't think Francis is that bad.." Ellis replied, somewhat obliviously, unaware Nick was brooding in his little funk, going down an unpleasant trip down memory lane.

"No. I got sent to an orphanage." Nick curtly answered, his tone clipped and quiet, like he didn't want more information than necessary to get out.

"Holy shit, man! You got sent to an orphanage? Why? How old were you?" Ellis bombarded him with a barrage of questions until he looked away and down. The kid stopped in his tracks, metaphorically speaking. "O-or, uh, do you not wanna talk about it?" He pulled back a little, hesitating, almost as if he were afraid Nick would bite him if he got too close.

The older man sad, his head down, his elbows resting on his knees, and his head in his hands. "Yeah, I was raised in an orphanage. Its okay though. I just.." He stopped for a second. "Do you really want to hear this?"

"A' course, man. Why wouldn't I?" The teen answered, his tone sweet and way too innocent. Nick inwardly cringed; he'd hate to tarnish the kid's image of him, as well as the image of the rest of the world. "I mean, did yer parents kick you out or somethin'? Or did they die? Cause my dad died when I was little an' my mama said she was never he same after that. It was when I was a baby though, so I never knew the difference." The hick added, sounding genuinely concerned for him.

The older man tilted his head back, rubbing his now scratchy eyes. Inhaling sharply, he bit out a sharp reply. "I was twelve. And I watched my parents die, both of them. I _watched_ it happen." The kid made a soft noise of surprise and pity. Nick countered it with a shuddery sigh. "My dad. He…" He swallowed hard, wiping at his face roughly. "I shouldn't even be crying for the old bastard. Not after what he did to my mom and little sister. He killed them. A-and when he sobered up enough to see what he did, he.." The brunette stopped, his hands clenching in fists in front of his eyes. "He shot himself point blank in the face."

Ellis had tears in his eyes. He was always empathetic and this story hurt him, and he knew it hurt Nick too, so it just doubled his own pain. He was feeling so bad for the older man. "Man, I'm sorry. I-I really am.."

The brunette looked away, sniffing, as if he was trying not to sound like he didn't care. "Don't be. I hated the man." He covered his eyes, and inhaled sharply. His voice was thick with emotion. "It was my mom and baby sister that didn't deserve shit. M'mom was a good woman, a saint even. She didn't deserve half the shit my old man did to her. What she had to put up with." He paused, his shoulders shaking. "She was gonna leave him, a-and take me with her."

"An' yer sister?" Ellis asked, rubbing his shoulder, trying so hard to comfort him.

Nick leaned closer to him. "Well, yes and no.. My mom was seven months pregnant. It was a girl. She would have been my baby sister."

The teen squeezed his shoulder tightly. "I.. I am.. So sorry, Nick.." The kid was reluctant to say anything, because he couldn't do anything but apologize, and it hurt him to have to just listen without doing any action that could possibly stop his pain.

The older man was silent for a moment until he sighed. "I promised myself I'd never be anything like him." He felt like he just had to say it, to get it off of his chest.

Ellis leaned in, both hands on Nick's shoulders tightly. "And yer nothin' like him from what I've seen, and what you've told me."

Nick smiled weakly, like it pained him to do so. "Thanks, El', you're a good kid." The teen's face heated up at the nickname as he mussed the teen's hair, marveling at how soft it was. His rather rough, yet well kept hand trailed down the side of the kid's warm and red face. Ellis leaned into his touch.

The young hillbilly smiled back. "Thanks, man. Yer a nice guy too."

"Nice guy, huh?" Nick leaned a tiny bit closer to the teen, his hand lifting the boy's chin and face a little. He leaned in and kissed him on the lips as tenderly as he could. He didn't want to scare the kid off after what he told him and moving too fast for him. "You're.. You're so sweet for listening to what an old man like me has to say. You didn't have to." He wiped at the teen's wet eyes with his thumb.

Ellis' face flushed deep red. "A-aw, man, Nick.. Y-yer.." He leaned in and kissed the older man back. Closing his eyes slowly, the hick let his lips graze against Nick's, just for a moment. His face was hot and Nick's was surprisingly cool. It felt really rather pleasant against his heated skin. "Mm.. Nick.. I-I.."

The older man didn't let him finish, cupping his face with his hands, kissing him a little bit deeper. After a long moment of his tongue running across the smooth surface of the teen's teeth, touching the other's own tongue, he pulled away, pushing Ellis back a little. "Wait, kid.."

The young teen wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and watched the older man look down. "You okay, man? You don't look so good."

Nick closed himself off to the younger man, his voice clipped and curt again. "Yeah. 'M fine. Just.." He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I don't know.."

Ellis put his arms around the older man gently. "Is it me, man? I'm sorry.."

Nick pushed him back, his hand on his shoulders. "No. It's not you, kid. Just.. Don't worry about me." The teen looked hurt.

"What's wrong, man?" The hillbilly asked, running his hand through his hair, a few curls snagging on his long fingers.

"El', it's not you, I promise." Nick replied, testily, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingertips.

"Lemme guess, then. It's not me, it's you?" He asked, sounding a little upset. "We're not even together and yer already breaking up with me."

"It's not that, kid, I just.." The brunette ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was.

"I get it, Nick. Y'don't want me, I got it. Y'probably have somebody at home already." Ellis' voice dropped to near inaudible levels.

"No." Nick looked up at him sharply. His face was red and Ellis had never seen him like that before. "It's that I.." He let his voice trail off, unable to get the words out, and let his hands drop from his head.

Ellis held his hand up. "I got it, man. Y'don't have to explain everything to me like I'm a little kid." Nick stiffened as the teen got up, and fell silent. "Just don't hate me like Keith does."

Ellis was an inch from the doorway when Nick spoke up once more.

"I don't get why you care so much about me." He finally admitted, his shoulders drooping even more. He sounded more vulnerable than Ellis had ever heard him speak, and it sounded like an admission of the utmost trust. "Nobody's ever cared about me that much since my mom died."

The kid turned and looked at him from over his shoulder. "How come you never said anything, man?" He was staring at Nick's red face, trying to figure out why the brunette was acting the way he was.

"Why do you think, El'?" Nick snapped at him, raising his head. Ellis cringed back away from him. Nick's head dropped back down when he saw that. "I.. I didn't tell you the whole story of what happened to my parents." There was a long pause before he spoke again. "I'm sorry."

The young hillbilly relaxed a little at the apology. "What happened then?"

The older man sighed shakily, looking at the kid as if he was his only tie to the present. "Let me start from the beginning then."

* * *

><p><em>Nick was only about ten years old when it all started, when his mom and dad started fighting, and it was clear there was something that seemed off about his Father. Being a military man, he forced young Nick to scrub the house from top to bottom everyday, and his entire body 'til he bled. The man was quick to anger, and favored corporal punishment over anything else. He was an angry drunk, and soon little Nick found himself to be becoming just like him, and there were heated arguments every night. Nick was only ten and he was already starting fights in school. Nick's mother would side with the boy every time, and Nick's father began to resent her for it. It was safe to say that maybe there was never love in their relationship, and it was likely the boy wasn't even his, or that they were forced to get married for the boy's sake, from what he screamed in a rage every night. "Bastard! Fucking son of a whore! I wish I had never met your mother, that cheating filthy bitch!"<em>

_One day, a week after his twelfth birthday, after Nick was mouthing off to the teacher at school, his parents were forced to come pick him up. It turned out he had flipped his teacher the bird for some unknown reason; something trivial probably.. His mother must have thought nothing of it, of course, because if she did, she didn't show it at all. Nick's father, however, beat the child to within an inch of his life and broke his finger. The middle one to be specific. Nick knew he did it on purpose, the way he roared at him that he was a disgrace and he should break his whole arm next time. Nick's mom knew this time the man had gone too far."_

* * *

><p>Here Nick stopped and sighed. "Right here." He held up his right hand. "It was the only bone I've ever broken." He wiggled his middle finger as well as he could. It was obvious there had been some damage there because it was very stiff. It was like it hadn't been treated at all and stood at a different angle than the rest of his fingers.<p>

Ellis nodded slowly, leaning forward to hear the rest of the story. "That's what you meant when you said that.."

"Yeah.. Kid... Yeah."

* * *

><p><em>Nick's mother had warned his father that if he had ever laid a hand on their son, their only son, that she would leave him and take the boy with her. Then she told him that her baby wasn't even his, Nick didn't understand that at first but when he got older he understood. Nick's dad didn't like that one bit and set to drinking all of the alcohol in the house. He, of course, got drunk, and was seated at the kitchen table, taking drink after drink until he was nearly unconscious. Nick and his mom were going to leave and go to Nick's aunt's house. She was Nick's mother's sister and he had never met her. But his mom told him they were waiting for them there. Then they'd be a family again. Nick, and his mama, and his new baby sister would be born soon and then they'd be a family again, far from his dad where he wouldn't be able to hurt little Nick anymore. But his dad, stumbling, falling down drunk, had got it into his head to never let them go. <em>

_Nick's mom had the suitcase ready in the car, and was giving his father the final warning before she left him for good. His father had stopped her from leaving, standing at the top of the stairs leading to where his parents' bedroom was. Little Nick got scared, standing at the foot of the stairs, watching his dad and mom fight. His dad had struck his mom across the face with a loud crack! She flew back, her mouth bloody. She started to slide down the wall but he stopped her, grabbing a hank of her hair in his fist, forcing her to stand. _

"_Mama!" Little Nick cried, tears in his eyes and starting to track down his cheeks in wet lines. He normally called her 'Mom', just 'Mom', but he was scared and acted much younger than he was. His father looked at him, right into his soul, it felt like, and he would never forget the look on his face of pure unbridled hate, as he threw Nick's mother to the foot of the stairs. As if in slow motion, she tumbled and there was a loud snap that he knew would haunt him forever, and she just kept falling until finally, __**finally**__, she stopped at his feet. She wasn't moving at all. _

_Little Nick wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, trying hard to help her, or wake her up, or something, but when he looked at her, he realized, in some small part of his mind, that she was dead. In that instant, he just started to __**howl**__, as he watched his dad go into his bedroom and not come out again. The house had gone eerily silent. _

_Nick had to go around his mother's unmoving body to get upstairs, as he panicked, and that little regressed part of him told him to find his daddy, because his daddy would make it better even if it was his dad that hurt his mom, that __**killed**__ her. He tried hard to avoid stepping in the puddle of blood seeping from her head, nearly tripping running up the stairs, snot and tears running in rivulets down his face as he stopped at the doorway of his parents' messy bedroom.. _

_His father was sitting on the bed, a big box in his hands. Nick recognized it as the lockbox on he top shelf in the hall closet, the one his mom told him never to touch. What was Dad doing with it? He wondered, confused. _

_The child's eyes widened when he saw his dad removed from the box. It was a gun, one the police would later identify as a .44 Magnum. It looked heavy by the way he was holding it and he opened it up somehow, and Nick realized he was checking to see If it was loaded before cocking it. He gasped and is father heard, turning and getting up, lumbering toward him with too much agility to __**really**__ be drunk. Nick ran as soon as his father turned the gun to point at him. _

_The large man moved toward him, and his adrenaline must have run out or something because he stumbled down onto the rug, gun going flying to rest at Nick's feet a few feet away. _

_With shaking hands, little Nick picked up the handgun and watched as his father started to stand up, going slower now that the alcohol was taking more effect. _

"_Give that to me, you little shit!" He growled as Nick studied the gun, his hands almost working of their own accord. His father fell again, and it looked like his knee somehow had gotten injured, probably from the previous fall or something else, because Nick wasn't sure. His head was in perfect range of the gun._

"_You're just like your mother, you little bast-!" _

_Nick squeezed his eyes shut tightly. __**This was for mom, **__he thought, scrunching his face up, gathering the courage to do it. His hands went to the trigger and pulled it, his arms jerking back painfully as the handgun kicked, the powder burning his hand from the shot. He sobbed and dropped the gun, leaving it in the pool of red liquid rapidly gushing from what was left of his father's head. With his dying breath, his father managed to pick up the gun, handle slick with his own blood; and he attempted to fire the last bullet at his anguished only son. _

_Though, unable to see through the blood, he failed and he let out his final exhale, dying, blood still rushing from the wound in his face, his hand clenched around the gun's handle. _

_Nick ran to the nearest phone, which meant he had to go past his mom again,, leaving bloody footprints across the spotless (due to his mother's hard work) white linoleum floor. He grabbed the old rotary phone and dialed 911 the way he was taught to. The he wailed aloud as it finally sunk in that his parents were dead. He couldn't stop shaking, not even when the police showed up and they had to tear him away from the phone. _

_Only a month later, they had him sent to Our Lady Of Mercy Orphanage, run by a sisterhood of nuns. It was there that he had gotten a phone call that told him his aunt didn't even want him or his mother to have gone to her at all. It was there that he figured out he was never even wanted, that he wasn't cared about by anyone, not even the Sisters. They knew what he was, even if the court declared it self-defense and no charges were against him. He was a murderer._

_Only once did he ever feel the warmth in his chest that he started feeling for Ellis now, and that was on his 16__th__ birthday. There was another boy there, David, who was stuck in a situation like him, and had absolutely no one else, and had only a year before he had to leave, being 18. They had had a relationship, but David left before he could tell him he loved him. He gave him his virginity too. Nick barely remembered most of the relationship but that, and his light yellow hair, like straw, and his bright smile. _

* * *

><p>"You remind me of him, kid." Nick slowly looked up at his young companion. The teen looked a little sad and stayed quiet.<p>

"W-why did you lie to me?" Ellis finally asked, staring at him. Nick felt all the blood drain from his face as he looked up, meeting his gaze. "You _killed_ your father!"

` "I-I.." His gaze dropped. "I didn't want you to hate me, El'. You should hate me though. I know I deserve it."

There was a long and painful silence before Ellis cleared his throat. "Naw, man.. Y-yer dad sounded like he deserved being hated right now, more than you do." He slowly responded. "An' I get that you expect me to hate you.." he flashed him a tiny sad smile, the kind that Nick loved the most about the teen, and would have told him so if the environment had been any better, or if he had been in the mood, which he wasn't. "But I don't. An' I don't think I could hate anyone who went through what you did."

The brunette shook his head. "Kid.."

Ellis held up his hand to silence him for the second time that day. "No, Nick, I can't hate you, an' I do care about you." He leaned in slowly and pulled the older man into a tight embrace. "Yer a nice guy and yer nothin' like yer dad." The teen nuzzled his cheek but Nick didn't seem to notice, but the older man exhaled slowly and returned the hug.

"Yer a good man no matter what." Ellis closed his eyes tightly, the one thought running through his mind was "I think I love you, Nick." but he didn't say it, his eyes closed still.

The brunette was shaking, unsure of why he just spilled all of his secrets to the kid. His eyes were open, staring down at Ellis' shoulder, where he had a tattoo that Nick had never really noticed before. He inhaled slowly, his eyes closing a little, trying to figure out whether or not to say what he wanted to say: "I think I love you, kid."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, uh, this one is kind of sadder than usual. I'm sorry, guys. I promise the next chapter has some smut and some better stuff, and then the one after that will probably have some Frochelle if the next doesn't. :D <strong>

**R&R please? **

**REVIEWERS GET A .44 MAGNUM USED AS EVIDENCE IN A MURDER INVESTIGATION. :D**

**TFFLM out~~**


	9. Emotions

**AN: What's this? Another chapter in one day? :o XDD um, anyway, this one is smuttier. Also keep in mind I'm not a man and have never actually experienced a blowjob so I'm hoping it'll be okay. XDD Also a certain guy reviewed and apparently didn't like reading it because it had "gay yaoi romance", even though I was trying really really hard to make this as realistic a romance as possible. Also smutty goodness in this chapter. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in here, from the characters to the game itself. I do not own any of it. **

**WARNING: blowjobs and angst ahoy! XDD**

* * *

><p>Nick exhaled slowly, very slowly, as his entire body relaxed in Ellis' grip. "Thanks, kid.. You're too good to me.."<p>

The teen found himself stroking Nick's still slightly damp hair. It had fallen into his eyes and made him look years younger. He looked relaxed, for the first time in a very long time, more than he ever had before. It was like the telling the young hick everything took a weight off of his shoulders that he never knew he had. Ellis smiled, touching the scratchy stubble on Nick's jaw line, the same way he did the first time he saw him.

"Kid?" Nick's eyes opened halfway.

"Yeah, man?" Ellis asked in response, a little distracted by the color of Nick's eyes. They were like cool pools of water, or pendants on an expensive jade necklace. He looked lazily to the older man's face.

"How.. How exactly do you feel about me?" The brunette very slowly asked, his voice quiet. Ellis furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment, his fingertips gently rubbing his face.

"Yer like my friend, man. An' yer nice. An', well, I like ya, a lot. I.. I love ya, even." Nick stiffened, eyes staring straight forward, away from Ellis. "Yer like Keith before.. Well, y'know.."

"Yeah, I got it, kid." He licked his suddenly dry lips. "But why? Am I that good that you can say it so easily?"

"S-say what? That I love ya? Cause I do, man. An' it's not just as a friend, 'cause.." The young teen looked down at him, inhaling slowly. "Cause yer amazin' and smart, an'.. An.." Ellis leaned down and kissed him deeply.

"Mmm.. Kid, I.." Nick pulled away for a moment, staring at him. "Do you even know what love is?"

The teen's hands tensed on the brunette's shoulders. "A' course I do. I loved Keith for a long time!" He went quiet. "S-still do a little."

"Kid-" Nick began, but Ellis stopped him, interrupting.

"Nick, I ain't no kid an' I haven't been for a while! I know what love is!" He cupped the older man's face in his hands. "An' I know I feel it for you."

The older man seemingly refused to respond. He worked his mouth for a moment before responding with a choked out "El'.." It took him a minute longer to actually make out a coherent response. "Ellis, I.. I know you think you're old enough but I-I'm an old man compared to you! I do love you back but I.. I don't want to have to break your heart!" he spoke quickly like the dam holding back all of his worried broke, sending them forth in a slurry of verbal diarrhea. "I don't want to hurt you like I've hurt everyone else I've loved!" He collapsed back, breathing hard and covering his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking.

"Wait, what?" The teen replayed the words he said back in his head, his eyes going wide at the confession. "N-Nick.. You love me too?"

The older man looked up at him cautiously and very very slowly took the hick's face in his hands. Then he proceeded to kiss him lovingly. Ellis wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing back with as much ferocity as he could muster. One of Nick's hands slid down his back, and came to rest at his hipbone, squeezing gently. Ellis bit back what sounded both like a moan and a yelp, as if that were a sensitive area, and very ticklish as well. The brunette's thumb rubbed circles against the bone, his fingertips inching under the waistband of his pants.

The kid pulled away quickly, inhaling sharply. "N-Nick, man!"

The brunette tilted his face up and kissed him again. "Just trust me, okay? And does _this_ answer your question?"

Ellis nodded breathlessly, as Nick ever so gently lifted his shirt, his cool fingertips tickling his sides. The hillbilly laughed and grabbed tighter onto Nick's shoulders. The tickling stopped and the brunette pulled the old yellow t shirt off of his head and placed it to the side. His hands returned to the teen's sides, though more possessively.

"You alright with this, kid?" The older man asked, looking don at him. The kid nodded but looked doubtful. "J-just be careful. I ain't never done this before."

] Nick watched him for a moment. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I won't force you to do anything."

The hillbilly's eyes narrowed a little. "Look, man, I'm fine." He snapped. "I did almost everythin' else with Keith so it doesn't matter anyway." Then the teen realized just what he had said, and bit his lip.

"Keith, huh?" Nick pulled back a little more. "What exactly did you do with Keith?"

The teen leaned up against his elbows, propping himself up against the bed. His face had begun to burn red hot. "Like, kissin' an' stuff. He never put his mouth on me though except for on my mouth, and sometimes my neck. But, uh.." He stopped for a moment, swallowing hard. "I sucked him off, once 'r twice." Ellis refused to meet Nick's eyes. "Or a few more times 'n that."

"Oh.." Nick muttered, definitely hard now, his pants feeling pretty tight, no doubt about it.

The kid glanced up at him, his face a rather pleasing shade of maroon. "Y-yeah, man.. That's all I did though."

"So you're telling me you've never had a blowjob?" Nick's voice held a teasing edge to it. "Kid, let me tell ya, you're missing out." He laughed softly, his mouth brushing against the teen's shoulder. "I should help you with that, shouldn't I?"

Ellis squirmed. "N-Nick! I'm ticklish!"

The older man laughed again, his lips moving lower to his chest. His lips closed around one of the sensitive buds on his chest. Ellis yelped and pulled his hair. The brunette grimaced, letting him pull his head up closer. "Don't do that, okay? You're pulling my hair too hard."

"S-sorry, man.." The teen loosened his grip, instead opting to bite his own lip whenever he was about to make any noise. He was still pretty sure Ro and her non-boyfriend were down in the kitchen the floor below them.

Finally, after a long moment of building heat, the wet pleasant feeling on his chest moved away, down the flat plane of his stomach. The hillbilly shivered and unconsciously arched up toward his touch.

Nick grinned again and laughed. "Eager, are we?"

_Aw, shit, did Nick not know what he did to him when he laughed? He couldn't help but want the handsome stranger so much more when the low peals of hoarse laughter filled his ears and the brunette flashed his amazing teeth. He never smiled much and Ellis had hardly ever seen him smiling. It was nice and cute and he felt an ache in his chest whenever he looked at him smiling. _

The teen grinned back, his face still blazing as Nick slid down his pants. "Y-yeah, man.."

Nick nearly let out a low groan as the hick smiled. He looked sexy like that, the older man had to admit.

"Just relax, El'. And let me to all the work." The older man murmured as he took him into his mouth as slowly as he could, wrapping one hand around what he couldn't fit in his mouth.

The kid thrust his hips up hard. This was a whole new sensation; wet, hot and it felt absolutely _amazing_. Nick's other hand clamped down on his hips, refusing to let up for a second. The kid still tried to buck into his mouth, wanting more of that undeniably good feeling heat.

Ellis was sure Nick did this before when he took him in deeper, doing something with his tongue and teeth that made his stomach tense up, and his knees go weak. He knew he was about to come.

"Nick.. I-I-" He felt like he had to warn him, the way Keith would when he did this.

The older man hummed, his entire mouth vibrating around him and the teen lost control _and_ Nick finally let go of his hip. Ellis was tensing quickly, like a coiled spring ready to burst. "O-oh shit, man.. I-I-!"

Nick looked up at him with half lidded eyes, the look on his face impatient, almost as if he was saying "C'mon, kid, I wanna take you over the edge." The teen could almost hear him saying it, his lips flush against his fevered skin. He couldn't take it, and his sight exploded into blinding white as his entire body arched up off the bed as hard as it could. Nick gagged around him, he could feel it, and he felt a tiny spike of regret for that, but it was swept away in the feeling of bliss.

Moaning loudly, Ellis finally relaxed, panting. Nick's mouth tightened around him for a moment and then let go, as the older man pulled back.

The brunette looked very slowly up at him, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "How was that, kid? Pretty good first time?"

The kid's face was turning an even darker shade of scarlet. "Y-y'got somethin' right there." He tapped his own cheek to show Nick where the small whitish blotch of his own fluids was on his face.

The older man wiped at it again and grinned at him. The grin was infectious, because, soon enough the teen was smiling along with him. "I love ya, man."

Nick didn't answer, but the look on his face suggested that maybe he did feel the same way or he wouldn't have done what he did. "Mm-hm, kid." He mussed the boy's hair, sliding up closer to him. The older male wrapped his arms around the teen's shoulders, nuzzling his neck a little.

Quietly, his voice tired and a little less than half awake, Ellis leaned in close to the older man. "Thanks, man.."

Nick was stiff, a little, and leaned back, his head close to the teen's shoulder. His eye were open, still, though Ellis' were closed. The boy was relaxed, drifting off to sleep, while Nick was tense. The older male couldn't sleep, but it wasn't like he wanted to anyway. The kid's gentle breathing was soothing and he knew the teen was honest in his confession, but what was bothering him was the fact that he didn't know his own damn feelings when it came to the teen.

But Nicky was no good when it came to emotions. He would rather show than tell. It was likely because of his childhood; same with his intense dislike of dirt, deeply ingrained into his subconscious. If Ellis hadn't of met him when he did, Nick's hands would have still been dry and scratched raw by the constant washing and furious scrubbing the brunette would subject them to. It was a neurosis, Nick knew, but for some reason it hadn't made him anxious if he didn't wash his hands when around Ellis. The compulsion was there but it was squashed by the warm and fuzzy feelings the teen was bringing up in him.

The older man just never really bothered with "feelings". Yes, the mental quotation marks were necessary, Nick just didn't see what the point was with them. Emotions got his mom killed, and the only person who ever really loved him taken away. Touchy feely just wasn't for him. Especially now that he had no family that would even bother to contact him at all, since they could just care less about him.

Nick swallowed hard and slid out from around Ellis, laying him down slowly. After a moment of standing beside the bed, he rubbed his hands together. It hurt like ell as he rubbed hard against the abrasions in his flesh. He looked back at the kid and grit his teeth harder as this weird sick anxious feeling rose up in him and the painful rubbing intensified, the feeling coursing through him. _Ellis loved him! And he was such a dumbass for ever thinking it could ever work out. The physical pain as worth it. He knew he needed to hurt if he were to subject the teen to anything at all. He just __**knew**__. _

"Sorry, kid." He muttered as his nails broke the skin on his hand, a slider of red beginning to show.

The teen stirred, feeling for the suddenly lost feeling of warmth. Nick bit his lip 'til it bled but he didn't seem to care. Instead, he focused all of his attention on the bedroom door, opening it and stepping out into the cool hallway.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: AHAH. Smut, yay! XD Um, r&amp;r please? Tell me what you liked and didn't like, or if this seemed too ridiculous, or if it seemed to short or something cause I'm getting that vibe right now... Just review, okay? :D<strong>

**TFFLM OUT**


	10. A Date

**AN: Listening to the silent hill 2 soundtrack while typing is both awesome and mildly disturbing as well as boosting my creative energies. Also I yoinked my sister's corset and was wearing it before. XD Um, in other news, I'm probably going to start working on the oneshots that can go alongside this fic and could happen in this universe but probably won't. Like there's one where they go dancing, and another one where there's a wedding, and a really awkward mpreg one. XD So yeah, just review and tell me if you want me to put those up too. XD I'd also like to thank my reviewers for taking the time out to read this. I love all of you, even the haters. -blows kisses- **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything within this, nor do I own anything belonging to VALVe. **

**WARNING: Fluff and short chapter imminent. Also assholery and douchebaggery abounds in this chapter. Nick realizes that maybe Francis isn't as much of an asshole as he originally thought and Rochelle does cute things. **

* * *

><p>Nick went down the stairs of Ellis' house, still wearing the red flannel pants the kid let him wear. He passed a clock hanging on the wall. 7:45 am. And that tattooed biker guy was still there. <em>What the hell was he doing there anyway? <em>Nick made a face as he passed the man facing away from him, seated at the couch in the small living room, looking for a laundry room or something, somewhere the kid could have possibly put his clothes. He went into one doorway and out again, quietly, moving only for a moment, before going into another room. "What the hell are you doing over there?" Francis craned his neck to look at him, turning and looking over his shoulder, sounding more annoyed than anything but for some reason was quiet.

_Seriously, why, oh, why was this dick here? _Nick couldn't help but glare at the man. At least the guy didn't look as unclean as he did before when he first showed up on Ellis' doorstep; that might have been why Ellis let him stay in the first place. But Nick knew if the leather-vested douche bag came to _his_ house the way he came to the teen's, he would not hesitate in drop kicking the son of a bitch out the door and into next week.

The brunette padded toward the back of the couch on bare feet, pushing aside his annoyance with the new guy as he spoke. "Do you know if the ki- If Ellis did any other laundry or anything?" He tried to keep the dislike out of his voice but it was very difficult.

The biker shook his head and replied softly, like he was sitting on something that would explode at any moment if he made any loud noises. "The guy's been _with you _upstairs this entire time."

Nick could tell Francis didn't like him at all and was probably cut from the same cloth as those sadists that beat him up. 'And will you just be quiet?" The biker looked down but Nick couldn't see exactly what he was looking at from where he stood behind the couch. Francis was treating whatever it was like it was a puppy or a really small child.

Curious, Nick stepped forward and looked closer. He saw Rochelle asleep on the couch, using the biker's knee as a pillow, seemingly at home with it, her cheek pressed against the guy's worn black jeans. She also had a blanket Nick was pretty sure wasn't out here before.

"Didn't she say she'd be sleeping in El's guest room?" The brunette murmured, leaning in and gripping the back of the old blue couch. The biker bit his tongue to keep from responding with a snarky "_El'_? Is that what you call your _boyfriend_?" just to get a rise out of the brunette. What he did instead was put his hand on Ro's back protectively. "I guess she couldn't sleep, or she was sleepwalkin' or something, cause she just came out here and plopped down beside me." His voice grew softer and warmer when he was talking about the girl.

Nick pulled back a bit more, glancing around. He noticed the blanket. "Did she have this with her or something when she came out here?"

The biker smirked awkwardly, looking down at Ro. "Aw, no, I brought it out here when she fell asleep on the couch."

The brunette's eyebrows went up. So this Francis guy was less of a dick than he thought if he was chivalrous and caring enough to cover Ellis' friend with a blanket while she slept.

Rochelle stirred and gripped Francis' pant leg tightly along with the blanket, her cheek nuzzling his leg a little. Very slowly she opened her eyes and looked around, not realizing where she was at first. Then, once it all came rushing back, she sat up, clenching the blanket tightly around herself. "W-why are you right next to me like that?" She put her hand up to slap him but he caught it like a fucking ninja.

"Look, Ro, I didn't try nothing. You fell asleep out here, I swear!"

Her eyes narrowed and she wrenched her hand out of his grip. "Then why do I have a blanket covering me? And why was I laying on your lap?" Her voice was accusing.

"Ro, lady, shut up, okay? I didn't do anything to you but get you the blanket. I promise. I wouldn't lie to you." He pointed a finger at her, defending himself easily. "I didn't do anything to you."

She, oddly enough, seemed satisfied by this answer and she relaxed a tiny bit. Then, as if she had suddenly realized he called her by a nickname, she tensed up again, bristling like a cat standing up to a ferocious dog, puffing herself up to look bigger almost. "And don't call me Ro! Only my friends call me that!" She jabbed him in the chest with her own bony finger. " And you! Are not! My friend!" She poked him each time, punctuating her words.

"Then let me be your boyfriend!" He replied quickly, almost not meaning to, like it just slipped out, rolling off his tongue easily.

It stopped her dead in her tracks. "W-what?"

"If you let me be your boyfriend, then can I call you 'Ro'?" He said it again, more nervous than last time, which was funny enough because he almost never got nervous. But this Valkyrie woman, Rochelle, was scary as hell. And she was enough to put him in line, and that got him interested. She was hotheaded and not at all bland like the dumb blonde bitches and the bar rats down where he normally hung out. She was normal enough to set him straight, and it both scared and intrigued him.

Her face was heating up quickly and she clung to the blanket he so graciously got for her. She couldn't get herself to speak, her throat was closing up almost, and it took her a moment to get out anything at all. What she did say was "What?" for the second time in as many seconds, figuratively speaking.

"Let me take you out for a date…?" He ventured a question, reluctant, in case she was going to try to slap him again.

Instead of hitting him across the face, she pulled back, almost surprised that he would be the one to ask her out. Normally, it was the total opposite and the guys would only be interested in one thing. Francis didn't seem like that, unless he was trying the nice guy approach to get into her pants. But it usually wouldn't feel like this, so genuine and really like he cared.

"I….I.. fine." She finally replied, still bristling and tense and more than just a little bit nervous and scared. Not of Francis, no, but of herself and what she was getting into. "Yes, I will go out on _one_ date with you. Just one though. No more, no less."

He nodded, the fear of her rejecting him letting up a little more. "Just one then. Just one."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I was originally going to have Francis say something more vulgar to piss off nick but I didn't feel like it was really in his character. And cuteness. :D Yay cuteness. Eh, I know it's short but the Frochelle fans will love me now. XD<strong>

**R&R please?**

**REVIEWERS GET WARM FRANCIS-Y BLANKETS AND A NICE BIKER TO SLEEP ON! :D**


	11. Keith 2point0

**AN: Oh, hi! Lol well, this first started out as just wanting to reply to one of my reviewers, Lindsey, I believe. Yes, she's reviewed anonymously, so I'm going to reply to it here since she's the only one who reviewed that seemed to read the author's notes, and then do the next chapter. :D**

**Lindsey: Okay, the dancing one would involve cowboy!Nick, and also awkwardness and Nick being an asshole who doesn't dance in public.. Because nick in a cowboy hat and boots would be so hot. XDDD -shot repeatedly- Keith probably wouldn't be in that one but if he were to be, then I dunno, guys. XD Um, the wedding one. I'm not going to talk a lot about the wedding one because it's supposed to be a surprise and have a twist ending. All I can say is Ellis looks good in a tux. XD Yes, Keith is a dick. XD**

**Also I believe an explanation is in order: Keith smokes, yes, but he runs fast. My response is, have you ever seen how fast the Smokers are in-game? They're like so fast so I made Keith that fast. XD **

**I am listening to the Silent Hill 0rigins soundtrack, and it's probably one of the most.. Interesting OSTs so far. XD Lots of mandolin, synthesizers, organs and epic bass. XDD Um, yeah. So I should stop rambling about silent hill music and get to the story, huh?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything VALVe has ever come up with, nor do I own the song this fic is very very loosely based upon. XD**

**WARNING: I have no idea what I'm doing for this chapter, having just sat down and started to type, so just bear with me. If it's rambling and weird, that's why. I might get off topic too, so, just to warn ya.. XD**

* * *

><p>Keith knew something was up with the kid, something strange, or a better fitting word would be <em>queer<em>, he thought with a lopsided smirk. Ellis got all weird when he mentioned the fag they got over by his place. There were two choices of what was up between that maybe the kiddo was just nervous around him, especially when he mentioned violence, or it was that the teen knew who they were talking about. And Keith would bet all of his cigarette money on the second train of thought. And he had to get to the bottom of it. He knew just the way how.

It was probably about noon or so when Keith showed up at Ellis' doorstep, almost letting himself in out of habit, ready to greet the teen with a warm smile like he used to, before everything got weird and he didn't know if he could be the kid's friend anymore if he was going to try weird stuff like how he did.

Keith liked the kid, sure, but he didn't like the kid that way. He wasn't a fag, even if the kid did have lips like a girl, and sucked him off like a girl, and was like a girl in every way but in his pants. It wasn't his fault; the devil tempted him in the form of the young auburn haired hillbilly. The kid probably didn't even know what he was doing. Keith was just showing him what it was like to do what he did. Well, that was what Keith told himself to rationalize what he knew was an attraction to the teen.

Ellis didn't answer at first, and the redhead wondered why, trying to sneak a peek through one of the house windows. He couldn't see anything; the gauzy old curtains hung in the way, letting him catch a glimpse of only shadows. From what he could tell, there were at least three people inside. _That's weird_, Keith thought to himself, fighting off the sudden pang of jealousy rising up in him, _why the hell would the kid have friends or something over_?

The outline he soon recognized as the young hick's stood up and got to the door, another outline, thicker set and only an inch or so shorter than Ellis, accompanying him. He jumped back to the front door, so they wouldn't catch him trying to look inside. The teen swung the door open only a little, so that whoever was at the door wouldn't see Nick attempting to score a look outside, or the way his hands were protectively on Ellis' hips. He stuck his head out of the little crack between the door and the doorframe, absolutely stunned to see his old friend on the front stoop.

"K-K-Keith!" Ellis cried, trying to slap Nick's hands away from his waist. So far Nick hadn't spied the ginger, but as soon as he would, he would instantly recognize him as the ringleader of the pack of wild animals that beat him to within an inch of his life. Keith grinned, and for some reason, Ellis couldn't help but smile back. Even if Keith looked like he came here on an important (maybe to himself) mission. "What are you doing here?"

Leaning against the house, Keith looked Ellis up and down. Same ol' kid, same everything. "Jus' thought I'd swing by, kiddo."

Nick's hands tensed on the teen's waist. He recognized that voice, he'd know it anywhere. Bringing his face close to the side of Ellis' head, mostly invisible from the other side of the door, he whispered to the teen. "That's the guy that tried to kill me!"

The teen fought a look of anger from coming to his face as he narrowed his eyes at Keith. Keith stared up at the kid, like he was studying his body language or something. "Can I come in, kiddo?"

Ellis blushed bright red when he realized Keith was checking him out. "M-man, I'm a little busy right now." He started to close the door, but the ginger smoker put his hand against it to stop him, pulling the door open.

"Busy doing what, kiddo~?" He asked softly, his voice tinged with a form of fake sweetness. "Were you fucking your boyfriend?"

The young hillbilly's eyes grew wide, and he attempted to slam the door in Keith's face but the ginger was stronger than him and forced the door open all the way. There, he saw, behind Ellis, stood the brunette guy he beat up. The gay one. His eyes narrowed, and he sneered. "I knew it."

Nick glared at the tall ginger, trying really hard to fight the urge to punch out the bastard right then and there. His hand twitched forward like he was going to, but the teen squeezed his wrist, like he was going to stop him. Through gritted teeth, he angrily spoke. "Get the fuck out of here."

Keith honestly had the balls to laugh right in Nick's face. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "You are screwing him. I knew it." He glanced to the red faced teen. "Finally got the courage to do what you didn't wanna do with me?" He was a dick, and Nick knew he was hurting the teen, and he didn't want Ellis to get hurt. The brunette's voice was like a growl. "Get out of here. Now."

Ellis looked at Nick, like he didn't understand how the older man could suddenly be so forceful when he was angry. Hell, the hick had never seen him truly angry.

Keith backed up. So, this fag meant business, did he? He seethed with jealousy and hate and anger and a quick blip of sadness that he mentally crushed with all his might. "An' ta think, I was gonna ask ya to come hang out with me." He smirked cruelly as he watched Ellis' face redden even more. He knew what "_hanging out_" meant, and it meant making out, getting as close to sex as possible without actually getting there.

"Ellis doesn't want you here, so get the fuck out." Nick replied, striding toward the door. "I'm not afraid of kicking your ass, so go, damn it!" He was definitely angry, like it was more than just because this dick was insulting him and the kid, it was as if his relationship with the kid was actually being threatened and he had to spring into action. Keith was taller and probably stronger than him but he did cut an intimidating figure when he wanted to.

"Awright, man. Jesus, you don't have to yell.." He grumbled, stepping off the stoop and back toward his car, a scheme already forming in his mind. He'd get the faggot out of town and then he'd have Ellis all to himself again, but how?

When Keith had vanished from view, Ellis turned to Nick, shutting the door. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't know he'd be coming here. Or I wouldn't of answered the door." He sounded apologetic and a little scared.

"No." Nick replied, looking away, clenching his hands, making the broken skin crack worse. "I shouldn't have gotten upset and yelled at him. I'm the one who should be sorry."

The teen's gut clenched, and he went closer to the older man. "It was my fault cause Keith came by, trying to get me back. I-I think.."

The brunette looked up sharply. "Was that what he meant when he said 'hanging out'? Christ, that guy seems like a total bastard. Even when I'm not getting beat up by his asshole friends. And now he wants to screw around with you too? Kid, I'm not standing for it, okay? I won't let this guy jerk you around anymore. He hates fags but here he is, trying to get into your pants! El', that guy is a dick. And if he ever comes back around here again, I will kill him myself."

Ellis stared at him for a moment, shocked he would say such a thing. "What? Man, why would you say that? He'd only call the cops on ya and get you arrested. You know what would happen to you if you went to jail?"

Nick's tone was stern, and unyielding. "I meant it, kid. I will hit him until he stops moving if it means he won't bother you ever again." It was clear he was probably jealous, and he figured that if Ellis still had feelings for the asshole then he might as well remove the competition, especially if the ginger smoker was trying to hurt Ellis or himself? Why not try for a preemptive strike and get him before the redhead struck first? It was only a matter of time before Keith would do something he'd regret, Nick could feel it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Awright, so Keith and Nick confront each other. Keith is a dick and Nick is more than just a little bit jealous. So yeah, um, we're getting deeper into the plot with this bizarre love triangle. Next chapter will cover Rochelle and Francis' date. So expect some silly cuteness to lighten up the mood a little. XD I have a feeling it'll be epic and dramatic though, in a slightly more understated way than this chapter, and also it should hopefully be funny. XD And then coach meets Francis. -scary and dramatic music swells- DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUN. Yeah, so that should be fun. Fun to write and fun to read. XD Yes, I know Keith is an asshole but I have a shit ton of leeway to go with because he has only one part of his character known, being a daredevil. He can still be an asshole and a daredevil. Cause those two totally go hand in hand sometimes. And for some reason I have this sudden intense urge to make Ellis' accent into a weird stereotypical Australian accent. No, I have no idea why. XD So, uh, read and review? I'd like to get at least forty reviews, and so far I'm at 37. I am striving for an even number divisible by ten. -slaps keyboard with hands- So yeah, r&amp;r please. <strong>

**REVIEWERS GET A FREE HUG FROM ME. :D**

**TFFLM OUT~~**


	12. Whispering Oaks

**AN: Ahaha. Um, I actually typed this up on my phone and then emailed it to myself. The idea I got while riding the bus at school. XD It was random too. XD Like seriously, sudden random silly idea and then I totally based this off of the level in l4d2 Dark Carnival. I dunno why but that idea amused me. Yes, they are totally at Whispering Oaks, and I am so very tempted to make references to the second game. XD Um. Yeah, cuteness. XD I watched Donnie Darko last night and I can't get over any of it. Oh my god. Seriously.. My brain imploded.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own cheese-wiz, any 'tunnel of love' rides, amusement parks, or anything created by VALVe.**

**WARNING: Fluff and cheesiness abounds. Literally. XD**

* * *

><p>"Why is it that whenever we're together one of us gets coated in a smelly substance?" Francis asked, only half joking as melted cheese covered his head and torso. They stood outside a large canopy thing, and was surprisingly not surrounded by people like how this place normally was.<p>

"Because it's the law of the land for people to get messy at Whispering Oaks." She teased.

"What is this crap anyway?" He asked and Rochelle stifled a giggle. "Its Nacho cheese, Francis, and its a good look for you, I'd say."

With mock anger Francis sort of lunged at her, with the intent to wipe some of the viscous yellowy fluid from his face off on her. "C'mere you~!"

She shrieked and laughed, side stepping away. "No, you'll get cheese on me!" He half chased her around their secluded little area of the Whispering Oaks amusement park before she stopped at a little picnic table. "Here. Lemme get that for you." Picking up about seventy five percent of the napkins in the dispenser, Ro set about clearing off Francis's face.

When it was done and his eyesight was completely unhindered, she handed him the rest of the napkins to clean the rest of him off, like the parts she couldn't reach; the top of his head, for example.

Grumbling softly, Francis used up the last of the napkins to completely wipe the cheese away. "Damn it, I'm gonna smell like this shit for weeks."

"Then take a shower when we get home." She replied, smirking at him. He noticed she said "home", not Ellis' house, but home. As an afterthought, she mischievously added, "cause you need it, Smelly. Mr. Stinky Cheese Man."

Francis grinned back. "Oh yeah, miss Ro-cheeellle~?" he stretched out her name, teasingly, putting a lot of emphasis on saying the first part, "Ro". "Or what will you do if I don't and smell like cheese for months!" The biker put on the most dramatic voice he could muster which wasn't very dramatic. It sounded like he was attempting to sound angry, and even then it wasn't very authentic sounding.

The girl laughed aloud at that. "Oh, I dunno. I'll think of something."

Francis put an arm around her. "Of course you will, sweetheart~" he replied, reassuringly. Or mock-reassuringly, she couldn't tell. Either way, she was feeling a little chilly so his arm around her felt nice and warm.

They walked for a few moments, wandering around the crowds a little. "Hey, I got the perfect idea. How about we go in the Tunnel of Love?" Francis suggested, chuckling softly.

Ro stopped for a second to look at him, halfheartedly pushing him away, not really meaning it, even if he did still reek of old nachos. "You better not try anything, Mr. Cheese."

It had to be _the_ cheesiest ride Francis were to pick to ride, there, if you'll pardon the pun, but it was still fun. The two had a good time laughing and telling jokes; or rather Francis teased and told jokes while Ro laughed and remarked that the stink of the water was covering up the smell of coagulated Cheese-Wiz.

"Ha ha, very funny, Miss Sensitive Nose." The biker nudged her shoulder gently, slipping an arm around the back of the Swan boat thing, trying to get comfortable, accidentally brushing his hand against her back. Ro shivered, and leaned into his touch. Francis frowned a little. "You cold?"

She answered slowly, a little distracted, it seemed, and leaned closer against him. "Y-yeah."

"How about once we're done in here, I take you home?" He asked, a little softly, not minding one bit how she fit perfectly against his side, his arm slipping easily around her shoulders.

Rochelle was surprised at how gentlemanly Francis could be when he wanted to. "Sure."

She liked how warm Francis was, and, trying to ignore the people making out in the swan in front of them, she really did feel like this was a fun date, even despite the whole cheese fiasco and Francis almost getting them kicked out because apparently, the tattooed biker liked to show off. He was like a little kid here, running around, and finally he was relaxing. And he was cuddly. And he smelled like jalapeños and whatever cologne he apparently put on before he took her out. It was an okay combination once you got used to the cheesy parts of it. Actually, no, not just _okay_, it smelled nice, really nice, and Ro kind of liked it. A lot.

* * *

><p>The biker leaned in slowly, kissing her on the lips, his hands gently cupping her face, both of them standing in the middle of the parking lot. She quickly responded in kind, the hands pushing him back sliding up to rest on his shoulders, arms wrapping around his neck.<p>

Fireworks were going off overhead and in Ro's stomach. It was the best kiss she had ever had, better than all the messy slobbery kisses she had gotten from her exes. Even if it tasted a little bit like nacho cheese, she thought and snorted aloud as she pulled away, trying so hard not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" He asked, concerned that maybe she was laughing at him.

It took Ro a moment, but finally, between laughter, she managed out. "Your lips taste like nacho cheese." And then she let out another loud burst of giggles. "And I'm not at all sure why that's so funny."

It may have been the butterflies in her stomach that made her feel all nervous and giddy, but it sure made her easy to get laughing.

"Well, _sweetie, _your lips taste like," he cupped her face again and kissed her slowly, a tiny bit deeper like he was literally tasting her mouth and for some reason it made ro hold onto him just a tiny bit tighter, "whipped cream and sugar."

"That's because we shared a funnel cake before you decided to 'accidentally' make the cheese dispenser burst." She said, still smiling, her fingers doing air quotes around "accidentally". "How the hell did you manage to do that anyway?"

"It _was_ an accident, I swear. I didn't mean to, y'know, light anything on fire, nor did I mean to make it explode. In my defense if it weren't, you'd be covered in cheese too!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, how chivalrous." She replied, rolling her eyes, even though it was clear she did it with a smile on her face. "Why can't all men be like you, willing to spray cheese all over their girlfriends?"

he stopped short. "Girlfriend? You're actually willing to go out with me more? God, are we going steady now?"

She put up both hands. "Easy, killer. We're taking it slow. And yes," she leaned in and kissed him again, it was so easy to do once the first one broke the ice, "I will be your girlfriend."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ieugfieuhfuwevieu so fricken cute ahmahgah. XDD yeah, this was fluffy and the next chapter will have twice the amount of angst as last chapter. XD I'm sorry, guys. XDD<strong>

**REVIEWERS GET NACHO CHEESE BATHS.**

**R&R please~~**

**TFFLM outtt**


	13. Confrontation!

**AN: Hi! My ribs are killing me, figuratively speaking. I'm lying on my stomach and my ribs hurt. XD Yeah, this chapter will be sadder and more angst because I'm working on an AU oneshot where Nick is dying. And I'm trying not to make it super sad but it's really hard. XD I'd like to thank my reviewers. -blows kisses- And in an update I've lost all of my stuff for the au where Nick is dying so I have to start over completely. -sobs- XD Anyway, I got this update so we're all good. XDD ANd I've gotten into Bioshock. Goddamnit, why do I fangirl for all the ones that are either evil, crazy or both? XD **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything created by VALVe, nor do I own anything within this story except for the plot itself. :D**

**WARNING: AAAANGSTTTT. So much aaangst. XDD And badass Francis reclaims his masculinity. XDD -shot repeatedly- Also lots and lots of the f-word. XD**

* * *

><p>"El'.." Nick started, looking to his young companion. "I'm sorry.."<p>

The teen smiled at him brightly, though he was a little curious as to why Nick was apologizing for getting Keith to leave. The sound of the young hillbilly's voice was doing wonders to assuage his fears and make him feel less awful about himself. "Nobody's ever stood up for me like that, man."

The brunette looked up very very slowly. "What.. Are.. You.. Saying?" He sounded confused, in the slow way he was talking. So the kid wasn't angry at him for scaring off that sorry ginger son of a bitch?

"Nick, man, that was awesome!" Ellis came up to him, grabbing his hands tightly. "Keith's been buggin' me like that this whole time, ever since a few days ago. I.. I dunno what's up with him, cause it was all of a sudden." He went quiet, gripping Nick's hands tighter. "Ever since you showed up."

"K-kid, look, if you want me to go, so you can go back with the freak that nearly killed me, then go right the fuck ahead and say it." Nick pulled his hands back roughly as if burned, the anxiety thrusting itself back into his body, right into his veins, skin itching to be scraped off, to be _clean_, scrubbed free of the taint of blood-

"Why would I want ya ta go, Nick?" Ellis unknowingly knocked the older man out of his reverie with his words. "I like ya and I like having ya here."

The brunette narrowed his eyes, rubbing his thumb and forefinger across the bridge of his nose, squeezing a little, like he felt a headache coming on. "Do you still love him?"

Ellis looked up to his older companion sharply. "What are ya getting at?"

Nick frowned deeply. "Nothing. It's nothing, kid. I promise."

"That's what you said last time too, Nick! Why can't you just tell me what's up? O-or am I just some guy you get to screw around with 'til you get bored, an' break my heart after ya get me to fall in love with you, or were ya waiting to sleep with me for that?" The words spilled way too easily from the hick's lips, and he couldn't help but raise his voice, his heart pounding in his ears. "Cause I love ya, Nick!"

"Yeah, well.. Maybe I don't, kid!" Nick stormed away, slamming the door to the bathroom, and locking himself inside. "And where the _hell_ are my clothes!" He yelled at the door as if frustrated and pissed off, punching it as hard as he can until all went silent in the bathroom.

The hick didn't even bother to go after him. Instead, another door slammed open hard.

"The hell is going on out here?" Francis roared like a bear woken from hibernation, looking like he spent the night in Ellis' guestroom, (bringing up the question as to where Nick slept,) still groggy.

Nick threw the bathroom door open, somewhat angrily, more frustrated about Ellis, himself, and- "Where the hell are my clothes? Ellis!" The brunette looked to the teen. "I'm leaving, kid. I don't care what you have to say."

Ellis was dumbstruck as the older man tore out of the bathroom doorway and up the stairs to where Ellis' bedroom was, and, presumably, his clothes.

I'm getting out of here!" Nick called out, looking, still, for his suit. The hick had to have put them somewhere after he washed it. He growled softly when he couldn't find anything of his.

"Nick!" Ellis called out after him, racing up the stairs. "Niick!"

"Hey, kid. Shut up! It's too early in the damn morning for this!" Francis growled up the stairs. "People are trying to sleep down here!"

"Then maybe _you_ shut up, grease monkey!" Nick snapped at the biker from the top of the stairs, still searching for whatever Ellis had washed of his clothes.

The hick came up from behind him. "Where will you go?" He sounded almost heartbroken.

"It doesn't matter. I'll end up somewhere." Nick brushed him off, replying gruffly, pushing past him with his shoulder and heading downstairs.

"How, man? You don't even have a car." Ellis bluntly replied, following him down the stairs quickly. 'An' all you'd have is the clothes on yer back."

"Maybe I like it that way." The brunette snidely muttered, loudly, not even bothering to be quiet now.

"Then- Then yer an idiot, Nick! You are just a moron!" Ellis got all up in the older man's face, hands shaking at his sides, itching to punch him out as hard as he can and not stop punching him, but at the same time he wanted to grab him and hold onto him and never ever let him go. "Y-you don't even know whatcha have, man.." He pulled his hand back and punched the brunette hard across the face, hitting him square in the nose. Thank god it didn't start bleeding. Instead the teen had hurt his hand in punching him. "Nngh, aw, motherfu-!"

"Goddammit guys, can't you just shut the fuck up? I swear, take your bitch fight somewhere else. Why did I even bother to stay in a house fulla fags if this is how they're gonna act? God, and everyone wonders why I hate people." Francis said, storming toward them.

"What the fuck did you just call me?" Nick hissed, anger evident in his voice and on his face. "Don't you fucking _dare_ call me-or Ellis-a fag!" It was likely he was just trying to let off steam in any way he knew how, and that was to fight about it, snapping at everything and anyone who even dared to mess with him.

"Yeah, and what the fuck are you gonna do about it?" Francis sneered, getting in his face and definitely invading his personal space, the entire air around him practically vibrating with hostile energy.

"Guys! G-guys, stop fighting!" The hillbilly tried to get in between them, yelling, trying his best to force them apart. "Quit it!"

"Get out of the way, kid. I'm gonna kick this bastard's ass, fuck him up so badly his own mother won't even recognize him." Nick bellowed, his pulse racing, ready to spring into action as he swung his fist toward the unsuspecting biker's face. It connected with a soft crack of what might have been his teeth clacking together, bloodying his lip.

The biker touched his face gingerly, as if shocked that Nick had gotten in the first blow. Then, in a rage, Francis threw himself at the brunette with a low breathy cackle, his muscular shoulder connecting with the other man's solar plexus, almost throwing him down to the ground and definitely forcing the air out of his lungs.

Nick coughed and grappled with Francis, grabbing his fingers and bending them back, trying to loosen the grease monkey's suffocating grip.

Instead, Francis forced Nick into a chokehold, while the brunette tried to pull away, his grip starting to fail as the muscular biker started to squeeze his throat tighter.

Ellis began to panic as he watched the fight escalate into something more as Nick managed to escape Francis' grasp, choking a little as he forced his elbow into the biker's gut.

With renewed energy and what was likely to be an adrenaline high, the brunette swiveled and caught Francis in the jaw with a swift uppercut. The biker stumbled back a foot or two and Nick rounded on him, moving as if possessed.

"Holy shit.." Ellis murmured, in awe and a little more than a bit of fear, as Nick fluidly sent a beatdown Francis' way. It only ended when the biker threw a well timed punch to Nick's midsection, and then another to his mouth, sending him back at least a few feet, 'til he hit the wall behind him and slid down it, landing on his ass, knees brought up to his chest. His knuckles were bleeding, he could tell, by the way they stung, and he was having trouble breathing, it seemed like. At least he was calming down a little.

Francis was still standing, hands on his knees, doubled over, feeling the blood drip from his mouth as he licked it away with the tip of his tongue. He had also bit his tongue, it seemed.

The brunette coughed and wiped at his mouth with his forearm.

"Damn it, Nick, what the hell were you thinkin'?" Ellis exclaimed, looking from Nick to Francis and then back to Nick again.

The biker wiped the tiny drops of blood from his lower lip and looked to the teen. "You saw it. That guy's a maniac!" He had the slightest of grins on his face, and it could almost pass as a grimace, like he was still running on the vestiges of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"He…" Nick wiped at his face breathlessly. "He called you a… A _f-fag.._" It was like that one simple three-letter word held so much emotion when he said it, Hate and anger and sadness. But mostly fear more than all of the others combined. Nick was _afraid_ of the word and how much power it wielded.

"I-I.. I don't care about that, man. Y'didn't have to.." Ellis swallowed hard. "Y'didn't have to attack him like that. Look, you're the one hurt now, Nick."

The brunette narrowed his eyes at Francis.

The biker stood up straight, crossing his arms, nearly no worse for wear except for the tiny scratch on his lip that was already starting to swell. "What the hell do you want me to do? Apologize?"

"Yeah, cause that'll fix this." Nick muttered under his breath, being sarcastic.

"That's a great idea. Both'a you. Apologize to each other." Ellis' voice showed he meant business, serious business. "Now."

Not wanting to get kicked out of the hick's house, Francis got a look at the brunette on the floor. "Fine." he held out a hand to help him up. "Look, man, _sorry_ I called you and your _boyfriend_ fags."

Nick visibly clenched up at the word. "You better be."

Ellis scolded him, and Francis nearly laughed aloud at how whipped the brunette must be if he obeyed the kid's every word. "Nick!"

Nick glanced to Ellis and sighed. "Fine. Sorry, alright? J-just.. Don't do it again." He took the biker's hand, wincing when the tender skin on his knuckles got stretched and irritated and his worn body stood up, aching everywhere as the adrenaline ran out.

The hick smiled weakly. "Good boys."

The biker glared halfheartedly. "I'm not a dog, guy."

Nick's eyebrows shot up. "Coulda fooled me." He meant it to be an insult but with the hostility toned down as low as it could go without it losing its ability to hurt. It sounded like teasing, actually.

"Shut the hell up." Francis snapped, looking to the brunette, shoving him back a little, but his hostility was toned down as well, to a dramatic and drastic degree. It was almost as if they were being civil to each other for once.

"Yeah, sure, whatever.." Nick muttered unenthusiastically, running his thumb across his own lips, feeling for the swollen part that had gotten it by Francis' fists. He pulled his hand back when he felt he probed the sore and tender red flesh enough and looked to the biker. Francis, now that he saw him better, dealt far more damage than he received as far as Nick could tell.

"Now, Nick, C'mere, ya look like shit right now." Ellis stepped toward the brunette, cupping his face in his hands.

"Yeah, I feel like shit too." He replied, through clenched teeth, fighting the urge to pull away and leave like he was originally planning to.

"Right when your other bruises began to heal up too, what a shame." Francis chuckled darkly and shook his head, still trying to get a jibe in, chiming in with his two cents worth. "Maybe if you kept your mouth shut, you wouldn't be getting in as many fights, or I should say _losing_ as many fights."

"Fuck you." Nick spat at him from over his shoulder.

"Yeah, wouldn't you like to?" Francis replied nonchalantly and more than a little viciously, as he walked away. "Sorry, dickhead, already got a little lady waiting for me to pick her up for a hot date."

As he left, Nick imitated him mockingly, acting more than just a little like a child.

The hillbilly bit back laughter; he was supposed to be disappointed in the older man. "Nick." He warned softly.

Nick's gaze shot straight to the teen. "I fucking hate that guy. Why does he have to stay here anyway?" Again, he sounded so very childish.

"Because I discussed it with Ro." Ellis reminded him slowly.

"…How the hell does she put up with him?" The brunette asked, wincing as his lip cracked a little farther painfully.

"I dunno, she's pretty patient.." Ellis said, sounding just as unsure as Nick did.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: AHAH. Yeah, ahem. This was kind of painful to write. C: The f-word count is almost as high as it was for my Repo! Fics and that's because fricken Luigi says Fuck every sentence. XD Yeah, so, uh, Read and review, please. I hope this chapter makes the badass Francis fans happy. Also nick is hella touchy when it comes to the word "fag". So yeah. -nodnod- Read, review, like I said, please.<strong>

**REVIEWERS GET FREE CARAMELS I MADE MYSELF :D **

**THEY TASTE LIKE THE SMELL OF SHIT THOUGH AND ARE WATERY, YES, WATERY. **

**R&R**

**TFFLM OUTTTT**


	14. Allergies

**AN: Jesus Christ, I've been so fucking busy, I'm so sorry, you guys! Also I apologize in advance if my suddenly potty-mouthishness offends you. It's because I got into a new fandom. Again. Also my mind keeps wanting me to type like one of the trolls from Homestuck. No, I have no clue why. Also! Also also also! I've gotten so many random ideas for fanfics. Like L4D ones that would run AU to this one, because I'm gonna milk this slash cow 'til she runs dry. XD Um, anyway, I should get back to the story before I yammer on about hot doctors and why certain Englishmen are sexier than others (Ples Tibenoch, I'm looking at you.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever worked for VALVe. I own a copy of several of their games, (thank you, orange Box~) but nothing else. Nothing herein belongs to me except for the plot idea, but even then I have mio fratello and the road she lives on for help with that. XD**

* * *

><p>Francis wiped at his lip; it had started bleeding a little worse as he sped down the dusty old road, and god knows what got into it. He should have cleaned it or something, instead of just running his tongue over it as if that would help. It didn't, it just got the taste of dirt and pollen and blood into his mouth, and that wasn't pleasant. He hated pollen, it made him allergic as all Hell. Thank God the pollen count wasn't as high as it could have been, or he'd be one sorry son of a bitch, wrecked on the side of the road from sneezing at the wrong fucking time, eyes all puffy and face red. And not to mention <em>Rochelle<em>. Fuck. She was on the back of his bike, right behind him. Didn't matter though, since he was close enough to her house that wrecking was definitely not an option.

Thinking about the girl right against his back, he smirked, causing a little stinging to shoot from his lip to the rest of his face, turning that smile into a sneer against the wind and the fucking _pollen. Which he hated. More than anything else._ But he set his mind back on Ro. How the girl didn't hear the little skirmish that broke out, erupting between that Yankee Nick and himself, he didn't know. He was surprised she didn't yell at him when she saw the resulting injuries, like she didn't know, or she didn't want to know. He wasn't sure. But it was alright because her head was leaning right against the center of his back, between his shoulder blades, cheek against the soft as all hell leather vest he had basically slept in.

"How'd you get all banged up, anyway?" She managed to ask over the roar of the breeze as they flew down the road. He could feel her high voice vibrating against his back as he tried to decide if he should tell her or not. He ruled against it.

"Sleepwalkin'." he replied, gruffly, leaning in toward the handlebars, as if to see past the dust that wasn't exactly obscuring his vision. She made a soft noise of surprise and gripped him tighter.

"I didn't know you sleepwalk." She murmured, motherly instinct kicking in, and it kind of weirded him out. "I woulda heard you get up."

"I guess I'm a fuckin' ninja then." He laughed, revving the bike, as they went around a corner. "So damn quiet, I'll sneak up on ya like a ghost." Rochelle laughed too, but he could tell she still sounded worried. So maybe the chick did care that he had sudden unexplainable injuries. Seriously though, he wondered how in the Hell did she not hear a thing that went down that morning.

After what felt like a fifteen minute ride through winding back roads and past _four_ fucking cornfields, trying to breathe through that god forsaken pollen, which picked up, by the way, to the point where Francis didn't even know if he looked normal anymore. He sniffed and wiped at his nose with his hand, until Rochelle glanced at him and, get this, she produced a tissue out of fucking nowhere. Where the hell was she keeping it? In her books?

"Thanks." He mumbled, still sniffling up a storm and sounding like he had two fucking huge rocks or something up each nostril. It didn't help that there was a little bit of blood still on his lip and in his nose. No, actually, it made it worse. The stuffiness and congestion of his whole face plus the sort of satisfying ache from his "battle wounds" just added together to create a thoroughly miserable biker.

"Don't mention it." She replied with a smile, holding her books and probably a million other things within that little stack of textbooks across her chest tightly. "Y'got allergies?"

The biker grunted out a monosyllabic answer; talking took up too much energy that he needed to keep his puffy eyes open and keep up the big old tough guy act. "Yeah."

Rochelle nodded. "My mom had allergies too, and I'm lucky I didn't get any." Her voice took on a more morose tone. Shit, her mother died, didn't she? How the Hell was he supposed to know that?

Just when he knew he should have just shut his mouth, he couldn't resist asking: "Had?" he mentally face palmed, because doing it in reality would have caused his allergies to get even more fucked up.

"Yeah." Ro swallowed, looking up at him as they were walking down the way too long to be comfortable front driveway that led to her house. (Why couldn't they just ride the bike up? He didn't even know. But at least walking made it so less pollen hit his face at such high speeds that caused unbearable symptoms.) "I was like fourteen, and I was the only kid still home." She let a weak sort of grim and mirthless smile cross her lips. "It hit my dad harder than it hit me, I guess. The women of my family seem to die young, he always said."

Fuck. Open mouth, insert foot.

Francis hesitantly put the arm he did not use to wipe his nose with around her waist. She gratefully allowed him to. "Sorry?" He offered, unsure of what to say. He never knew his old man and he didn't care enough to find out where the hell his mother, the hag, went. He never was close enough to them to care. They didn't care enough to find him, at least, that he knew. She nodded but didn't reply, wiping at her eyes with the heel of her hand. Fuck, she'd been crying. And he didn't do anything to help. He was just fucking up all over today, wasn't he? If he believed in Karma, he'd call it a bitch with a personal vendetta against him.

Finally, fuckin' _finally_, they got up to the house. It was an old house, probably built years ago, and just barely fixed up. It was painted a cheery yellow, more so buttercup than goldenrod. But what the fuck did Francis know about the colors of flowers, he could have been bullshitting the whole time?

Before they could even get up to the front door, it swung open and there stood a huge black man, and he had at least a good two inches on him. And Francis was wearing boots.

"Hi, Daddy." Rochelle grinned up at him, like she wasn't scared out of her fucking mind at the massive and intimidating man that stood in the doorway.

"Baby girl, where've you been? I've been worried sick. I- Who is this?" The tall and brawny black man stared down at Francis. Fucking Hell, that man was like a judge or something. No one should have the power to make a grown man back down like that. Fuck no, Francis was not some cowed little pussy. He was a man, goddamnit. _Wait_, did she just call him Daddy? Oh shit, that was her _father_. Damn, what the hell kind of mess did the biker get himself into this time?

"Daddy, this is Francis." She showed the biker off like he was some kind of boat that was a prize in a game show, not that he watched that trashy shit. No fucking way.

"Uh, hi." He deadpanned, raising a hand, and probably looking like shit, or something a cat ate, then threw up, and ate again.

When the man, Rochelle's _father_, he reminded himself, did nothing in response, Rochelle took the biker's arm. "This is the guy I told you about."

Rochelle's father frowned. "Ya'll better come inside. Ro, baby girl, we need'ta talk."

Oh, _fuck me, _Francis thought, miserably. He was in some deep shit now. Up Shit Creek, one could say, without a paddle, or even fucking hands to paddle with.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope to god I didn't butcher Coach. XD I really sincerely do. XDDD Because I suck at writing Coach. Actually, just old men in particular. XD Unless they fall under creepy rapists, then it's like "oh, well, this is easy." XD I dunno, what do you guys think? Also bonus points for those who go through the chapters and count how many times I say fuck. XD<br>**

**REVIEWERS GET A CAN OF VANILLA COKE! :D **

**PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REVIEW, AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS! :D**

**R&R**

**tfflm**


End file.
